Taking Chances
by waiting.for.summer
Summary: Nick sees Greg is having a bad morning. Can he help his friend, or will the circumstances prove too much for the seasoned investigator? Maybe he can help Greg with the aid of family and friends, but who's going to help him?
1. Chapter 1

If this is a CSI fanfic under my account, it's going to have a Nick/Greg-ship, so if you don't like that, then please move on. ;0)

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AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Nick watched from the doorway as Greg snapped his cell phone shut and slammed his locker closed, leaning against it. It was unusual for Nick to see the lab rat in anything but an upbeat mood. In the two years since he'd been working in the lab, the CSI could probably count all Greg's bad moods on his fingers, and then probably not use every digit. And he'd been watching, really watching the young man, perhaps too closely, but….

"Shit," Greg said, gently tapping his forehead against the metal surface of the locker, before pulling away and sitting on the bench. He was bent forward, knees splayed, resting his forearms on his legs.

Nick entered the locker room slowly, not wanting to intrude, but worried for the lab tech. He'd become friends with the young man since he was hired, however it was not the best buddy type of friend, more of the 'how was your weekend' type of coworker friend. Nick didn't know much about Greg's personal life, although he really wanted to, but it appeared that something was very wrong.

"You okay, Greg?" he asked, walking nearer and sitting on the bench a few feet away from the upset man, wanting to be closer, but respecting Greg's personal space.

Greg's head snapped up and he took a deep breath. "Yeah, Nick," he nodded, before tilting his head back and looking at the ceiling. "I'm fine."

Nick watched Greg's face as his mouth tightened and he turned to look at him. "Really, Greg? I'm a trained CSI. I can see that something's not right. I could have just walked past the doorway and left you in here to deal with whatever's wrong, but I didn't. I'm asking you once again, are you okay?"

For the first time since Nick entered the locker room, Greg looked him in the eyes. "I have a problem at home, Nick. Don't worry. I'll be back in tomorrow to run your samples. I've just got to get home now and deal with something." He stood and fumbled in his pockets, looking for his keys.

Nick gave a frustrated sigh. "I'm not worried about how this might affect my cases, Greg. Can I help?" he asked, standing and blocking the other man's exit from the room. "I would really like to help if you'll let me." His eyes boring into Greg's.

Greg paused and looked at the older man, surprised at the intensity of his offer. The two men had rarely seen each other outside of the lab and although Greg would have liked there to have been more interaction, he could hardly believe that Nick would show more than a cursory interest in his life outside work.

"I'm not sure that there is anything you can do, Nick, but I appreciate the offer." Greg smiled wanly.

Nick nodded. "How about I take you out for breakfast and we talk about it, Greg? If I can't help fix the problem, maybe just talking about it will help." He hoped the young man would say yes. For two years he'd wanted to spend time outside of the lab with the wildly coifed man, but had never gotten the courage to ask him out.

"I can't, Nick. I have to get home, like right now." He watched as Nick's face clouded at his words, before the dark-haired man managed to cover his feelings. "If you really want to talk about my problem, how about following me home? I have to make breakfast anyway and you're more than welcome to join us."

Nick nodded. "Just let me grab my stuff from my locker and I'll meet you in the parking lot." He moved to the side to let Greg walk past him and out the door, before opening his locker and reaching inside. 'Us.' It finally hit him. Greg had said, 'join us.' Nick sighed. Here he had been fantasizing for two years about the lab rat and never realized that Greg had an 'us' in his life. Well, it was too late now to back out of breakfast. Besides he considered the young man a friend and if he could help, then he would.

Nick closed his locker door and moved to leave the building wondering what type of person would be waiting for breakfast at the Sander's home. He thought it would be easier if it was a female. A straight Greg would end all his hopes and maybe allow him to move on. However, if the bleached blond had another male living with him, Nick would be crushed to know that he might have had a chance and had blown it by not approaching Greg sooner.

He opened the outer doors and blinked as the harsh morning sunlight hit his eyes. He raised his sunglasses and immediately felt relief, his eyes searching the parking lot and finding Greg leaning against the side of a car waiting for him. Nick grimaced, realizing that up until this point he hadn't even known the make of Greg's vehicle, but had expected Greg to drive some type of sports car, not a sedan.

Greg raised a hand in acknowledgement and moved to get into his car. Nick moved toward his truck and unlocked it, already steeling himself for whatever he would find upon reaching Greg's home.

* * *

Pulling up behind Greg, Nick took a deep breath. "Get yourself together, man," he told himself. "Get in there and help your friend. You can deal with your own shit later."

He exited his truck and walked over to Greg, who was again standing by his car. "You sure you want to do this, Nick?" he asked. "If you've changed your mind on the drive over here, I won't hold it against you." Greg was giving the Texan an out.

"I said I wanted to help if I could, Greg, and I meant it." Nick smiled at the young man. As Greg turned to walk up to the apartment building, Nick happened to glance into the car he had just exited. He paused and took a deep breath before following the young lab tech up the front side walk. 'A car seat. Greg had a car seat in his car.' How had he worked with the man for two years and not known he had a child at home? Nick shook his head. Maybe he wasn't such a great CSI after all.

* * *

Nick watched as Greg opened the door of the apartment and called out, "I'm home," as he entered. He followed the younger man in, glancing around as he moved into the space. The living room, the entry opened into, looked lived in and comfortable. Nick couldn't see any evidence of another individual within the residence, but be could hear the faint sounds of someone moving about down the hallway off to his left.

Greg moved toward the sound, blocking Nick's view. "Here, let me help," he heard the lab tech say, as he moved quickly into the hall. "I'm so sorry, Marie." The Texan could see a suitcase suddenly appear in one of Greg's hands as his body bent forward and around the figure in front of him. "Can I give you a ride to the airport?"

"You are not waking that child up, young man. It took me long enough to get him to sleep. I called for a taxi. It should be here anytime." Greg straightened up and Nick took in the line of the wide shoulders, tapering down into slim hips, still unable to see past his coworker. "Maggie will be fine, Gregory, but she needs me right now. I'm so sorry leaving you in the lurch like this. I wish…."

Nick watched as Greg turned and walked the woman into the living room, his arm around her shoulders. "I understand. Your granddaughter and great granddaughters come first. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

The woman Greg called Marie looked at Nick and smiled, "You must be a friend of Gregory's. I'm Marie." The gray-haired woman walked forward and put her hand out for Nick to take. "I help out with the little one," she said, and then Marie grimaced. "Well at least I did. I have to go help out my granddaughter. She was in a car accident and has two of her own little ones needing a helping hand right now."

"I'm Nick. I work with Greg," he answered. "I'm sorry to hear about your granddaughter, Marie."

She nodded, "Thank you kindly, Nick." Turning toward Greg, she poked her finger at his chest firmly, "You call me and keep me updated on our boy." He nodded and swallowed heavily as they heard a horn honking outside. "That's my ride." She looked at Nick, "Could you help me with my bag, young man?" He nodded and took the suitcase from Greg, as she walked over to the couch and picked up a smaller case and a large shoulder bag, which could have doubled as an overnight bag.

Nick rushed forward to help with the other bags, but Marie pushed him back and got a better grip on them. "I'm not helpless, Nick." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders in apology. Marie reached over and, as Greg bent to meet her, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and headed towards the door, as Nick held it open for her.

As she went out the door Nick looked over at Greg and said, "I'll be right back in and we can talk." Greg nodded and watched as the one person who was helping him keep his life under control walked out of his life for the foreseeable future, perhaps forever.

* * *

When Nick returned to the apartment, he stopped just inside the doorway and glanced around. There was no sign of Greg. He closed the door and stepped further into the room, listening for a clue as to the direction the lab rat had taken. Nick heard a sound of water running off to the right and he headed in that direction, finding himself in the kitchen. Greg was starting a new pot of coffee. Nick smiled, hoping that he was going to get a cup of the 'good stuff' that the young man preferred to drink.

Greg looked over his shoulder at Nick and asked, "Pancakes okay with you?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Can I help?" He watched the quick and easy movements of the younger man, as he mixed batter.

"Naw, I've got it. Have a seat." Nick nodded and sat down, allowing himself the luxury of watching Greg's back and arms flex under the long-sleeved tee shirt while working at the counter and stove making their breakfast. He was full of questions, but realized that Greg was using the simple task of making pancakes as a buffer against the realization of losing Marie and what that loss would mean to his life in the days to come.

Greg poured the batter onto the heated griddle and gave each puddle a swirl with the ladle. He opened the cupboard door for two cups and filled them with the freshly brewed coffee and carried both cups to the table, setting one in front of Nick.

"Thanks," Nick said with a smile. Greg reciprocated the look and turned back to the stove, using a spatula to lift the edge of one of the pancakes to check for doneness. When he was satisfied with the color of the cooking side, he flipped them and headed to the refrigerator, pulling out syrup, butter, and a bowl of fresh berries. Nick watched as Greg repeated the procedure with the batter until he carried two tall stacks of pancakes to the table, setting one in front of the CSI.

Both men ate silently and when he finished, Nick sat back watching Greg mop up the last of the syrup on his plate with his final forkful of pancake. Lifting his coffee cup, the dark haired man took a sip and decided it was time to talk to the young man, who looked as if his world was falling apart. "Okay Greg, so now I know you were upset back in the locker room about Marie leaving. Do you care to talk to me about the situation?"

Greg nodded and finished his cup of coffee, before lifting his gaze to the other man's. "I guess I'm scared. Things were so bad before Marie came into our lives. I couldn't find anyone who I felt comfortable leaving Carter with when I was at work. One day I was sitting in the park and both he and I were crying. Me, because I couldn't get him to stop, and him, well, I never did know the reason for sure. Marie came up to us and soothed us both, and just became family in a matter of minutes."

Setting his empty cup on the table, Nick leaned forward clasping his hands together and resting his forearms on the smooth surface. "I didn't know you had a son, Greg. How old is he?"

The young father smiled. "Carter is nine months old."

Nine months, thought Nick, I had no idea. "Is his mother in the picture?" he asked hesitantly. He watched as Greg swallowed heavily and closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Gina was killed in an accident four months ago. That's when Carter came to live with me."

Nick thought back and remembered a tech from the day shift covering the lab for several days in a row about that time. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't realize you'd lost someone so close to you recently."

Greg looked up at Nick and shrugged his shoulders. "I hadn't seen Gina in almost three years, but she was my closest friend in college. It hurts to think I'll never be able to talk to her again, or that Carter will never get to know his mommy."

"So you're not Carter's biological father, then?" Nick asked, frowning at the incorrect assumption he had made, wondering why Greg now had custody of the small child.

"Gina never told me who Carter's father was. When she informed me she was pregnant, I told her that if she and the baby ever needed anything they could count on me. I knew her parents had passed away and there was nobody else she could turn to for help. I never dreamed that she would put me down as next of kin and appoint me guardian of Carter if anything happened to her." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I guess it shouldn't surprise me, young people die all the time, but …." He looked at Nick and shrugged his shoulders. "I was told if I didn't follow through and adopt Carter, that he would be put into the foster care system. I couldn't let that happen to Gina's child."

Nick nodded. "So you're going through the adoption process, then?"

"Yeah. I get visits every so often from caseworkers, just to make sure everything's fine. I've been told it could take up to a year before everything is finalized." Greg stopped talking and Nick could tell he was listening for a sound outside of the room. "He might be up. Let me go and check."

The CSI watched as Greg left the kitchen. Rising he carried the dirty dishes to the counter and began to fill the sink with soapy water.

The young man returned carrying a baby monitor. "Hey, you don't have to do that, Nick."

Nick smiled and continued to wash the dishes. "You made breakfast, the least I can do is rinse off the dishes for you."

Greg smiled and put the monitor on the table. "He's still asleep. I guess he must have been dreaming." Opening a drawer he pulled out a dish towel and began to dry the clean tableware. "I guess I'm going to have to take a few days off and look for another sitter. Damn, it's hard finding someone who will actually care for Carter, and not just sleep, eat or watch T.V" He looked at Nick. "I even caught one chick banging her boyfriend in my bed when I came home early one morning."

Nick grimaced at this story. "Did you boil the sheets afterwards?"

"I tossed them in the trash," Greg responded with a laugh. "I guess I should have been glad they weren't going at it in the bed I put in Carter's room for his sitter to actually use to sleep in. He would have been sleeping right beside them."

The Texan realized that the young man was beginning to finally relax. "Hey Greg, I have tonight off. Why don't I sit with the little man for you? There's no need for you to take any down time if I can help out."

Greg looked at Nick and gave him a small smile. "You'd do that?"

Nick grinned. "I'm an old pro at watching babies, Greg. I have six older siblings and more nieces and nephews than should be allowed by the law. I'd be honored if you'd trust me with Carter."

Greg nodded and gave a relieved sigh. "I have the following night off. That would give me a couple of days to actually find someone I could feel comfortable leaving Carter alone with." He looked at Nick and gave him a huge smile. "Thanks Nick, I really appreciate the offer."

"Not a problem." He tilted his head toward the bedroom hallway. "Why don't you go ahead and get some sleep? I'll stick around and get to know the little guy when he wakes up. I can sleep when he naps later."

"You sure?" Greg asked. "I don't want to take advantage of your offer of watching him tonight."

"Go on," Nick smiled. "I'll be fine. We'll both be fine. Get some rest, Daddy."

Greg pushed himself away from the kitchen counter and started across the room, turning to Nick one last time, "If you need anything…."

"I'm beginning to think you don't trust me, Sanders," Nick joked.

"I trust you with my life, Nick. Thanks." Nick nodded, as Greg continued towards the bedroom hallway.

Nick let the cooling water out of the sink and dried his hands. Filling his coffee cup with the remains of the pot, he picked up the baby monitor and wandered into the living room, setting the device on the table in front of the sofa. He picked up the remote and turned the television on, adjusting the volume to a faint murmur, settling in until Carter decided to make an appearance.

* * *

I have all thirteen chapters written and plan on posting 3x a week. All that remains is the nervous fiddling I always do before the actual posting. LOL The entire story should be posted by the end of the month. Happy New Year!

Oh, P.S. - feedback is appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

As promised...

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Nick was dozing on the sofa when he awoke to a soft sound. He turned his head towards the baby monitor and realized that was where the sound was originating. Rising from his reclining position and wandering down the hallway, he paused and acknowledged he didn't know which room was Carter's nursery.

He could see the open door of the bathroom, but also two closed doors. Standing outside of the first door, he quietly turned the knob and gave a glance inside. Nick could see Greg sprawled across a queen-sized bed, the sheets twisted around his waist allowing the Texan to see the lab tech's smooth back. He paused within the open doorway, gazing upon a sight that would provide fodder for his fantasies at a later time. Swallowing heavily, Nick closed the door quietly and turned to the remaining door.

Opening the second door, he saw a crib to the right. Nick stepped inside the room and closed the door. Stepping over towards the crib, he saw a small figure sitting in the center staring back at him.

"Hi buddy. How are you doin', Carter?" Nick began talking in a soft, low voice. He watched Greg's son study him, trying to decide if he should cry out for his father or allow Nick to pick him up. Nick smiled when the boy lifted his small pudgy arms towards the unknown man, evidently deciding that he was safe.

He lifted the child in his arms and nestled him against his chest. "Guess we should check your diaper, little man, after that we'll find you something to eat. Sound good?" Carter smiled at Nick and produced spit bubbles in response. "I guess that's an affirmative, huh?" Nick moved to the changing table and quickly and efficiently provided Carter with a dry diaper. The baby kicked his legs in delight as Nick gave his bottom a sprinkle of talc. "That feels good, doesn't it, you little hedonist?"

After resnapping Carter's sleeper, Nick picked him up and headed towards the kitchen. He slipped the baby into the highchair, fastening the seat strap before turning towards the cupboards. Quickly locating some teething biscuits, he gave the babbling babe one to keep him occupied while he proceeded to gather up breakfast foods for the child.

A short time later after Carter had eaten his cereal and mashed banana, and Nick had rinsed his dishes, the two males settled into the living room couch so that Carter could finish his meal with his bottle of juice. The happy baby wrapped a fist around Nick's little finger and held on tight, his blue eyes gazing into the brown ones above him. Nick smiled and snuggled the little fellow closer to his chest.

The remainder of the morning Nick had the time of his life playing with Greg's son. The two sat on a blanket on the floor with a variety of toys the Texan had found within Carter's room and inside a basket in the living room. Carter's favorite activity involved tossing the toys off the blanket and allowing Nick to pick them up and put them back in the middle of the play area. Prior to a second diaper change, Nick had even given the baby a quick bath in the kitchen sink, afraid that the two of them would be too noisy for Greg if they used the hallway bathroom for the chore.

When Carter's eyes started to droop, Nick fixed a bottle of formula and settled back onto the couch with his small charge, knowing a full tummy would help the little guy sleep sounder and longer. Nick could feel the need for a nap also, having not gotten much sleep earlier. Deciding to rest his eyes, the dark-haired man lowered himself into a semi-reclining position as Carter worked to finish his formula. Nick drifted off to sleep just moments after the tiny mouth went slack around the nipple on his bottle.

* * *

Greg woke up and realized the house was silent. That was not a common occurrence since his life had changed four months ago. A glance at the clock surprised Greg. It was late afternoon, and he had slept for close to seven hours. Swinging his legs off of the bed and slipping on a tee shirt, Greg quickly made his way out of the bedroom.

After using the bathroom, he opened Carter's door, expecting to see his son sleeping in his crib, but the room was empty. Greg continued down the hallway and into the living room. His eyes swept the room and his gaze faltered as it fell upon the sofa and the two males asleep on the cushions. Well, he admitted, only one was on the cushions; the other one was using the first as his own personal cushion. Carter was lying on Nick's chest, his tiny hand around one of the man's thumbs. Nick's free hand was resting on the baby's bottom, holding him in place and keeping him from rolling off onto the floor.

Greg felt a lump in this throat. His son and Nick looked so good together, so natural. Nick was right, he was good with kids. Greg had fully expected to be woken up much earlier. Carter had recently reached the stage when he was afraid of unknown people and had proven to his father that his lungs were extremely healthy, screaming whenever anyone he didn't recognize came into his line of vision. But it appeared that Nick had managed to charm Carter. Greg smiled realizing that the concept of being charmed by Nick was an appealing thought, even to him.

Settling into an armchair, Greg allowed himself the luxury of watching the two sleep, daydreaming that Nick and he raising Carter together was a reality. It wasn't just that he realized that two parents would make it easier; Greg had been fantasizing about a life including the Texan long before Gina's death had brought the baby into his life. Listening to Nick and Warrick talk about their dating lives had been torture and he could have requested a transfer to another shift, but the idea of not seeing the dark-haired man on a regular basis was too painful to consider.

Nick woke to the feeling of warmth on his chest and gave a smile, realizing that Carter had nestled in close and fallen asleep for a nice long nap. He turned his head and saw Greg sitting in an armchair, looking down at his hands with a look of such sadness that it made him want to rush over and pull the young man into his arms. Shifting on the sofa slightly, he caught Greg's attention and for an instant Nick saw a look of intense longing on the lab tech's face when he looked at Nick and his son.

That look was quickly shuttered as Greg gave Nick a big smile. "So how did today go?" he asked in a cheerful voice that Nick thought sounded a little forced.

"Great. We had breakfast and lunch. Carter had a bath and we played with his toys." Nick looked down at the floor and the scattered items on the blanket he had found folded on the back of the sofa earlier. "I'll pick those up later. Carter decided lunch was more important than housekeeping." He grinned down at the sleeping baby and rubbed his back gently.

"Yeah, he's kinda like that," Greg chuckled. "He's got that egocentric thing working for him."

Nick continued to look at Greg closely, then making sure he had a secure grip on Carter, he shifted into a sitting position. "Greg…?"

"Hmmm?" He looked Nick in the eye.

"Don't worry, man. We'll figure something out. I already have a few ideas." The dark-haired man tried to reassure his friend.

Greg shook his head and replied, "Nick, I appreciate the concern, but it's my problem. You don't have to try to fix things for me." He smiled sadly and shrugged his shoulders.

Nick retained eye contact, watching for any indication Greg was being honest with him. Deciding the young man was perhaps only giving out what he thought was the expected response, the CSI tried to decide if acknowledging his feelings and making his concern for Greg and his plight more visible would be taking advantage of the new father's current predicament. He decided to take a chance, if later when Greg's needs weren't so pressing he felt he had taken advantage of the situation he would back off, however much it might hurt. "And if I want to make it my problem, too?" he asked softly.

Greg's eyes widened, a look of uncertainty on his face. "Nick….?"

"Yeah," he responded with a nod and a shy smile.

"How long?" the bleach blond asked softly.

Nick gave a sad smile, "How long have you been in the lab?" He looked down at the small bundle resting on his chest. "If this makes things too weird for you, then I can walk out and we won't ever have to discuss it again. I don't want to upset our working relationship because of my personal feelings. I just want you to know that I will do anything I can to help you out."

He looked back up at Greg, needing to see the effect his words were having, ready to hand over Carter and leave if the young man's response was negative. Greg, however, was smiling.

"Are we idiots, or what?" he asked, shaking his head slightly. "Sometimes it was just plain torture working with you, but the lab always seemed so empty when you walked out. I kept trying to invent ways of keeping you there as long as possible. Why do you think I played 'Guess the Chemical Compound' or gave such elaborate answers to your questions over test results?"

Nick grinned, "Yeah, you too?" He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that his declaration was not being rebuffed, but was being accepted and reciprocated.

Greg nodded and chuckled, "When I interviewed for the job, I was trying to decide between Vegas and New York. I had a pretty hefty offer from the other lab. But when I caught sight of you in the hallway and found out the job I was interviewing for was on your shift…." He paused and grinned, "Well, as soon as Grissom offered me the job, I called New York and told them they'd have to keep looking."

"I can't believe we've wasted two years," the Texan shook his head in disbelief.

"We haven't wasted it, Nick. We've just taken the long road in getting to know each other. Never having had this talk would be wasting the last two years." He stood and walked over to the couch, sitting beside the other man and raising a hand to the strong jaw line. "May I?" he asked looking at Nick's lips and then up at his eyes for permission.

"Please," Nick answered, leaning sideways towards Greg.

Greg moved forward closing the remaining gap, careful to not trap Carter between their bodies as he captured Nick's lips with his own. His first touch was tentative, as if not really believing what the dark-haired man had told him was true, but when Nick answered that soft kiss in a more impatient manner, Greg responded quickly, slipping a hand to the nape of the other man's neck to hold him in place. The young man continued the onslaught until both men had to stop to breathe. Pulling back slightly, he rested his forehead on Nick's.

"Better than my fantasies," he whispered, carding his fingers through the hair at Nick's nape.

Nick chuckled, "Fantasies, huh? You'll have to tell me all about them and we'll try to make each one a reality."

Greg pulled back further until he could look into Nick's eyes. "If I wake up in a few minutes and find that I have been dreaming…."

Nick's eyes darkened, and in an emotion-filled voice he said, "Not a dream, not anymore." He leaned toward Greg again, asking without words for the young man to meet him halfway. The CSI slipped one hand from the sleeping infant and grasped Greg's nape, holding him in place as he took the lead in the next kiss, proving to the lab rat that he was very much awake and desired.

The possessive claiming eased into a series of feather-like kisses along the juncture of Greg's neck and collar bone, as Nick's hand caressed the soft skin underneath the ear on the other side of his face. The young man began to melt against his long-term crush, forgetting about the small child sandwiched between them.

A wail from Carter finally brought both men to their senses, and they reluctantly pulled apart. "Carter's making sure we're all awake," Nick quipped in a joking manner.

Sitting back into the sofa cushions, Greg reached for his son with a huge grin. "Hey Carter, I see you've met Nick. I'm glad you like him because I have a feeling he's going to be spending a lot of time with us from now on." Carter's whimpering ceased and he snuggled with his father.

Nick smiled and nodded. "Yeah Carter, if your daddy wants rid of me now, he's going to need a crowbar." Carter looked over at the sound of Nick's voice and as if understanding his words, reached out his little hand towards the man, patting him gently in agreement.

* * *

Nick could hear Greg in the kitchen talking to Carter as he fixed supper for the three of them. The Texan slipped down the hallway and pulled out his cell phone dialing the youngest of his five older sisters back in Texas.

"Hey Sis," he began, smiling as Beth took control of the conversation and all he was able to do was answer yes or no at the appropriate times. When she finally slowed down, he asked, "How are you doing?" His sister had recently gone through a messy divorce, the first in his family. His parents and siblings had been glad that Beth had eventually realized the mistake she had made in marrying her college sweetheart, and were thankful that there were no children stuck in the middle of the awful situation.

When she finally quieted for the second time, Nick approached her with an idea. "Bethie, how would you like to get out of town for awhile? I have a close friend and co-worker here with a small child. He's a single parent and his child care provider had to leave unexpectedly due to family reasons. Would you consider flying up here and spending some time with me and helping out? I'll pay your expenses." Nick knew that his sister was at loose ends, having left her job in her husband's company when the divorce papers were filed. Nick's parents and siblings had tried to keep Beth occupied, but he was sure his sister was beginning to feel constrained by the constant presence of the entire Stokes' family hovering around her.

Nick smiled at her acceptance to his proposal. "Thanks so much, Bethie. Start packing, sweetheart. I'll talk to my friend and call for airline tickets. When I get things finalized I'll call you back. No matter what happens with Carter's original sitter, you are more than welcome to stay with me as long as you want." He took a relieved breath as he closed his phone and wandered back to the kitchen, happy that he would be able to relieve Greg of the burden of looking for a care giver for Carter.

* * *

Greg and Nick sat down to eat, Carter's high chair between them. Nick had fed the small child most of his dinner while Greg was finishing cooking their meal, however the new father would stop every few bites during his own dinner to see if the boy would eat anything else. Carter seemed to like pleasing his father and every so often he would allow another bite of vegetable to cross his lips.

"I talked to my youngest sister, Beth, while you were cooking, Greg." The lab tech nodded and wiped Carter's mouth and fingers. Nick continued, "She just went through a nasty divorce and my family is driving her crazy with all their hovering. She's not working now and is at loose ends. I invited her to stay with me and she's willing to watch Carter for you, if that's agreeable."

Greg looked at Nick in surprise. "Nick, you didn't have to do that. I could have managed. Really."

The dark-haired man shrugged. "I hope that I'm not stepping on your toes…" He shook his head. "No, I know I am stepping on your toes and I apologize, but I didn't want you to worry about finding somebody. I know that Beth can use a break from home and she loves kids. The bastard she was married to didn't want any and took it upon himself to get a vasectomy without even consulting her." Nick paused and looked at Carter and then back at Greg. "Please let us help out."

Greg hesitated. He didn't want a relationship with someone who would steamroll over his wants and needs, but he did want someone who cared enough to want to make things easier for him. He knew that those two things could sometimes be contradictory. Greg gave Nick a smile. "We'll give your sister a shot, Nick. Lord knows, there were times when I needed to spend time away from my family, but the next time something comes up in regards to Carter please ask before you take it upon yourself to plan our lives. It's not that I don't want you to have a place in his life, but this thing between us is so new that…."

Nick placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "I understand, Greg. You're his father and right now I'm just the man who wants to be in his life because I happen to care for you. I'll respect that."

Greg nodded his thanks. "So when do you expect Beth?"

"I'll call and make plane reservations for her after dinner. She was so excited when I talked to her that I bet she's already packed and waiting for my call." Nick grinned. "You'll like Bethie. She and I are a lot alike. As the two youngest, we were inseparable as kids. She's the one sibling I've really missed like crazy since I moved to Vegas."

Greg smiled, "Well then, we'll have to see what we can do to keep her here then." Nick smiled in response and returned to his dinner feeling better about his earlier phone call.

* * *

*continuing my happy dance that the first chapter was well recieved*


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Nick smiled as he listened to Greg play with his young son via the baby monitor. The monitor had been left in the kitchen earlier and he had not realized it was still on until the young man's voice appeared startling him at first. Nick had reached to turn it off, but hesitated, wanting to listen to Greg's voice as he spoke in the soft, playful manner.

He had volunteered to do the supper dishes so that Carter and his daddy could have some time together before the youngster had to go to bed and Greg had to leave for work. Drying the final pan and placing the dish towel to dry, Nick carried the monitor into the living room, turning the sound down as he sat down on the couch and pulled Greg's laptop onto his lap and began checking for flights from Austin to Las Vegas.

After a brief check for availability, Nick typed in the appropriate information and credit card number to reserve Beth a seat on tomorrow's flight. Closing the browser down and closing the lid, he pulled out his cell phone and quickly punched in his sister's number.

Beth answered almost immediately. Nick smiled, realizing his sister was as excited by the proposed trip to Vegas as he was. "Hey Bethie," he began, "I got your ticket ordered. I hope you can be ready to fly here tomorrow afternoon." When she answered in the affirmative, he asked, "Are you already packed, Sis?"

Nick laughed when she asked if there wasn't an earlier flight, because she had called their parents to tell them she was going out of town and already three of their five other siblings had called to be sure she was going to be fine. "If you get anymore calls just tell them to call me and I'll set them straight, Bethie. I know that having a close family is great, but sometimes they can get a little overprotective."

Nick made plans to pick up his sister at the airport and then said goodbye, just as Greg came back into the living room with Carter.

Greg had changed his son into his footie pajamas and the baby was happily babbling as he pulled at his father's hair. Nick smiled at the two and patted the cushion beside him. "Want to join me over here?" he asked.

The young man smiled shyly and sat down on the center cushion, close enough that he could feel the warmth coming off of Nick's body. The older man reached a hand out to tickle the baby, who giggled and curled toward Nick in response. Nick chuckled and put an arm around Greg's shoulders and pulled him closer, as Carter reached out to grasp his babysitter's tee shirt in glee.

"Carter really likes you," Greg acknowledged, as he settled against Nick's shoulder and set the little boy on his lap.

"The feeling is entirely mutual," Nick assured him, lifting the baby up in the air and tickling the tyke's tummy with his nose. Carter howled with laughter. The Texan lowered the baby back to Greg's lap and brought his gaze up to the young man's eyes. "I really like Carter's daddy, too."

Greg gave Nick a slow, sexy grin before dipping his chin and looking decidedly unsure of himself. "What's wrong, Greg?" Nick asked, worried about the change in demeanor of his friend and new love interest. When the other man didn't respond right away, Nick pressed, "Greg, what's wrong?"

The blond bit his lip and rested a hand on Carter's back. "Nick, it's evident you're really good with kids and probably want a family someday…."

Nick waited for a moment and then answered, "Yeah, I'd really love to have kids one day, but what's the problem?" He watched the young man carefully trying to figure out what was bothering him.

Greg raised his eyes and met Nick's. "If I didn't have Carter, would you still be interested in me?" He looked at the other man hesitantly, watching as his face went from questioning to having a brilliant smile.

Nick leaned forward and captured Greg's lips with his own. "I've wanted you for so long," he murmured against the opposing lips. "I'm just glad that Carter finally brought us together." Greg gave a small whimper and opened his mouth inviting Nick inside.

When Nick finally pulled back, Greg sighed and leaned closer, placing his head on the other man's shoulder. Carter, feeling the adults become relaxed and mellow, nestled down against his father's chest and stuck his thumb in his mouth. "How about watching a little television?" Nick asked, reaching for the remote on the side table.

Greg nodded and rubbed small circles on his son's back. Nick turned the volume on the set back up and surfed through half a dozen channels before settling on an old movie that had begun only minutes before. "One of my favorites," Greg said, as he snuggled in closer and allowed Nick to rest his cheek on the blond hair of the young man.

"Mine too," Nick whispered; ghosting a kiss to the top of the head his cheek was resting upon.

* * *

When the movie was over and Carter was sleeping in his crib, Nick walked into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, pulling one of Greg's travel mugs from a shelf. Greg followed him in a few minutes later and grinned, "Are you going to pack me a lunch, too?"

Nick turned around, leaning against the counter, and smiled, "Only if you ask really nicely." He sighed and held out his arms, "Come 'ere."

Greg crossed the room and stepped into Nick's embrace, resting his head against the older man's shoulder, as Nick wrapped his arms around the young man's waist. Greg raised his arms and curled them up around Nick's, resting his fingertips on top of the broad shoulders in front of him.

"You do realize, don't you, that you're the reason I'm here, not Carter. He's great, and I'm quickly beginning to care for that little sweetheart, but you are the reason I'm here. You, Greg. It's been you for a long time now." Nick turned his head to place a gentle kiss on Greg's neck.

Greg nodded, chuckling, "I think I'm beginning to understand, but you might have to keep refreshing my memory."

Nick responded by pulling the young man tighter to his chest. "I can do that. In fact, I think I'd like that a lot." The two men stood together for a long time before Nick started to pull back. "I'd love to hold you like this all night, but I think we'd be getting a phone call from the lab wondering where you were."

The young man moved out of Nick's arms and sighed, "I better go change for work."

Nick nodded, "I'll fill your travel mug and pour you a cup to drink when you come back out, then." Greg nodded in response and turned, walking out of the kitchen. After he left the room, Nick opened the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, sticking his head inside and breathing deeply, before filling a glass with ice. "It's either this or a cold shower," he acknowledged, turning on the cold water tap with a sigh.

* * *

After Greg left for work, Nick puttered around his co-worker's apartment wanting to stay awake, even though he had not gotten a complete rest during the day. He didn't want to mess up his sleep cycle. He realized he should probably go home as soon as Greg got back so that he could go to sleep in his own bed. Nick wasn't sure if he stayed here another day, that he would allow himself to rest while Carter and Greg were awake and so close.

He frowned when he thought about how eighteen hours ago he had almost walked past the open locker room doorway without entering. Two years of longing, might have extended into a lifetime of never knowing that Greg was experiencing those same feelings. It appeared that both men had become quite good at keeping their lifestyles private and their emotions under wraps. Nick wondered how things might change at work, knowing that now that he knew Greg reciprocated his feelings, it would be harder for him to keep his own in check when the two men were in close proximity.

He was having a hard time settling down and he paced around the living room. Nick wasn't in the mood to watch television, but felt at loose ends. He stopped in front of a shelving unit and looked at the rows of DVDs, CDs, and books lining the shelves. He grinned at the odd assortment of genre contained in each media. Breakfast at Tiffany's was sitting beside the latest blockbuster release. Frank Sinatra was between Marilyn Manson and Aerosmith. Books about DNA were piled on top of a hardcover copy of a recent Grisham novel.

Nick pulled the Grisham novel off the shelf and carried it to the couch. He hadn't read it yet, although he had a copy on his beside table at home, a Christmas gift from his oldest sister. It would be the perfect thing to help him settle down, but it would be interesting enough to keep him awake. Nick relaxed into the cushions and prepared to keep himself busy and awake for several hours. He glanced towards the hallway, missing the small child who was sleeping so soundly. Nick shook his head when he found his thoughts wandering down the hallway, wanting to wake up Carter. He lifted his stockinged feet onto the coffee table in front of the sofa and opened the book to the first chapter, determined to let the little boy sleep.

* * *

When Greg walked in the door he could smell bacon and coffee. His stomach growled and he grinned, Nick was making breakfast. The young man had not stopped to eat during his shift and was famished. The workload had been tough, with the CSIs bringing in multiple samples from several crime scenes. In fact, Greg had been worried that Nick would get called in to help even though it was his night off. He'd had a hard time focusing for awhile wondering what he would do if that happened.

As he slipped off his shoes, Greg could hear Nick talking and realized that Carter must be awake already. That was good. It meant that he'd be ready for a nap a little earlier than normal and Greg would be able to lie down also.

He walked into the kitchen and saw his son pushing about the remnants of a scrambled egg with his plastic-coated toddler's spoon. Carter gave a loud squeal when he saw his father, which caused Nick to turn around quickly to see what was wrong. "You're home," he said with a smile. "How do you like your eggs?"

Greg smiled in response. "Doesn't matter when I'm hungry. I'll eat whatever's put in front of me." Nick nodded and turned back around, cracking eggs into a bowl.

The young man walked over to give his son a kiss on the head and was rewarded with a smack to his forehead with Carter's spoon. "Love you, too, sweetheart," he said straightening and running his hand over the offended area. "How was last night?" he asked, walking to the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Great," replied Nick as he whisked the eggs expertly. "Carter woke up about an hour ago and I couldn't convince him to wait breakfast for you. Sorry."

Greg laughed as he moistened a paper towel and walked over to wipe his son's face. "Can't say as I blame him. He's seen me eat. I'm sure he wanted to make sure he got something before 'Garbage Disposal Greg' filled his plate."

Nick turned and looked at Greg. "Should I add a few more eggs to the bowl?" he asked, watching as Carter fed his father a cold piece of egg from his highchair tray.

"Naw, I'll be fine with an extra piece of toast." Greg wandered over and opened the plastic bag containing the bread and filled the toaster, before pushing down the lever. "I worked through my meal break last night. It was really busy and I didn't want to leave anything for the day shift."

The CSI frowned, pouring the eggs into the skillet before crossing to the refrigerator and pulling out a package of shredded cheese. He already thought Greg was too thin; he definitely didn't need to miss a meal. As the eggs started to firm up, Nick added a handful of cheese to the pan deciding that some added calories would be beneficial for the young father.

When the toast popped up, Greg buttered it and quickly folded a piece in half and took a large bite, before slipping a couple more slices of bread to the machine to toast. Nick smiled and stepped back from the stove top to open the oven door. "How about some bacon to go with that toast?"

Greg smiled and pulled a couple of plates from the cabinet and divided the bacon up evenly, before buttering two more slices of bread. Nick turned off the burner and began spooning the cheesy scrambled eggs onto the plates, making sure that a larger portion found its way onto the plate closest to Greg.

The men each carried their plate and cup of coffee to the table and sat down, bracketing Carter, who was busy with his sippy cup of juice. "So it was a busy night?" Nick asked before taking his first bite, watching as Greg began to attack his food. He smiled, realizing that the young man was right, maybe Carter was smart to want to eat before his father could get to his food.

"Multiple crime scenes. I was afraid Grissom would call you in to help out," he admitted, pausing to speak and take a sip of coffee, before returning to his meal. Nick nodded and remained silent, opting to let Greg finish eating before asking any more questions.

As Greg slowed down, Nick decided to talk about his sister's arrival plans. "Bethie's plane lands at four o'clock. I thought I'd pick her up and bring her around to meet you and Carter before I go to work. How does that sound?"

Greg pushed his empty plate away from himself and leaned back with his coffee cup, taking a sip before answering. "Sounds good. I can't wait to meet her." He bit his lip and looked down into his cup. "I just realized your sister won't have transportation in Vegas."

Nick shrugged, "I thought I'd drop her off here in the morning. We could take your car to work and leave her my truck, if you don't mind me riding in with you."

The lab tech shook his head, "Naw, you might need your truck for a scene. It might be better if we leave her my car and I ride with you. That way she has the car seat for Carter."

"Sounds fine by me. I guess she could pick you up if I end up having to work overtime then."

Greg nodded and reached for Nick's plate, thinking to take them to the sink, but the older man took his arm and halted his movements. Nick rubbed his thumb alongside the tender skin of Greg's wrist and the young man stilled in anticipation, looking at the Texan's face for a clue to his intentions. "I had lots of time to think last night," Nick began. "I know we've known each other for a couple of years, but looking at your video, music and book collection I realized I don't really 'know' you." Greg smiled and nodded as Nick continued, "I guess what I mean is, I want to get to 'know you' before we, well…."

Greg grinned at Nick's verbal fumblings. "So, we're going to take it slow, then?"

Nick nodded and gave a half shrug. "If that's okay with you? I guess I'm kind of old-fashioned that way."

"I always knew you were a gentleman. I think that's a big part of your appeal," Greg admitted. Nick grinned and lifted Greg's hand, placing his lips on the young man's wrist, causing Greg to inhale quickly and his eyelids to slowly close. "Of course," Greg whispered, "not being a gentleman could be viewed as a good thing under the right circumstances."

His words caused Nick to laugh, which in turn caused Carter to stop watching the two men quietly and begin banging his cup on the tray in front of him. "I'll take that as my cue to head home for a few hours." He released Greg's hands and rose from his chair, ruffling Carter's hair. "Bye buddy, see you later."

Greg stood up and moved close to Nick, placing a hand to his neck, before leaning in for a kiss. "Thank you for watching Carter and for making us breakfast," he said easing back. Nick placed his hands on Greg's hips and pulled him back in close, covering his lips firmly and teasingly.

"My pleasure," he grinned when they broke for air. "Especially if this is how you thank me." He stepped back and headed for the door, turning back and pausing. "I'll see you tonight, then."

"I'll have dinner ready for all of us," Greg grinned. Nick nodded and continued out the door. Carter reached out his arms for his father, who picked him up and spun him around causing him to laugh out loud. "Carter, sweetheart, it looks like Daddy has a boyfriend. What do you think?" Carter blew bubbles at his father and clapped his hands. "Yeah, me too," Greg smiled. "Me too."

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Greg shifted Carter to his other hip and watched the disembarking passengers from the Austin flight. Nick had called from home a couple of hours ago informing the young father that he was being called into work early to cover for an ill swing shift employee, asking if Greg could pick up his sister from the airport. Luckily with his son awake, a quick diaper change and the repacking of Carter's bag was managed with precision, enabling Greg to leave the apartment quickly and giving him time to even complete a couple of errands on the way.

His eyes scanned the faces of the women streaming towards him, not sure what Nick's sister really looked like. He focused more on those with dark hair, assuming that trait was probably dominant in his family. Greg knew as soon as he saw the woman's face that it was Beth. She did have the same dark hair and, yeah, Nick's dark eyes. Beth looked a lot like her brother, but was petite and decidedly feminine. Greg smiled as she came closer and called out, "Beth!"

The woman he had called out to turned and made eye contact, looking at him with a questioning look. When she got closer Greg reached out his hand, "Your brother sent me. He got called into work early. I'm Greg." He looked down at his son and smiled, "And this is Carter."

Beth smiled, "Hi Greg." She stretched out a hand to stroke Carter's soft curls, "Hi sweetie. I guess you and I are going to become friends, huh?" The dark-haired woman looked back up at Greg. "May I?" she asked, nodding to his son.

Greg smiled and held him out. "Might as well give it a try. He's at that age where strangers tend to alarm him, but he's adapted quite well to Nick. Let's see how he does for you."

Carter began to tense up and stuck out his lower lip, a sure indicator from past experiences that he was going to start a fuss. Beth began to murmur to him in a low tone, rubbing his back as she rocked back and forth. Greg smiled. Nick was right; Beth's ex was a creep. This woman was biologically wired to be mommy material and deserved to have a large family of her own. He watched as Carter relaxed and melted onto Beth's chest, resting his head on her shoulder.

Greg nodded towards the luggage recovery area. "You want to show me your bags and I'll grab them for you?" She smiled and they walked as a group towards the revolving conveyor belt. After she indicated to her two bags, Greg retrieved them setting them on the floor beside his feet. "Anything else?"

"No, just those and my carry-on," she indicated to the bag slung over her shoulder by a long strap.

Greg reached forward and slipped the bag from her, without causing too much disruption to her grip on his son. Stooping to pick up the bags, he nodded at Carter. "You okay carrying him?" he asked, watching as the small child wrapped the fingers of one hand into Beth's long hair, while sticking two fingers of his other hand into his mouth.

"We're good," she answered, continuing to rub Carter's tiny back. "He seems a little sleepy."

Greg smiled and began walking towards the exit closest to the parking lot he had used. "Yeah, if we were home, he'd have been down for a nap a couple of hours ago. He probably won't last long once he gets in his car seat and we get moving."

Beth looked over at Greg. "I could have taken a taxi. You didn't have to keep him up just to meet me here."

The lab tech looked over at Beth and grinned. "Hey, Carter and his daddy are gentlemen. We look after the womenfolk, don't we buddy?" Then he gave Beth a serious look, "I really appreciate what you're doing for us. I was beginning to have a panic attack before Nick told me he had talked to you. Marie's granddaughter was in a car accident and…"

Nick's sister interrupted him, "Please Greg, don't thank me. I'm sorry about Marie's granddaughter, but I'd have come anyway if Nick had asked me. I really needed a change of scenery, and personally, I'm tired of being the one everyone else is taking care of. I want to be the one doing the care-giving for awhile. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does." The trio exited the building and Greg led Beth towards the closest parking lot. "I got lucky and found a space really close."

After settling Carter in his seat and placing Beth's luggage in the trunk of the sedan, Greg pulled out of the airport onto the highway heading back into town. "I'd take you directly to Nick's, but I'm sure it's locked up tight. You don't have a key do you?"

When Beth answered in the negative, Greg nodded. "Then we'll go to my place. I've got supper in the slow-cooker and there's an extra bed in Carter's room you can use tonight if Nick doesn't get a break between shifts. That okay with you?"

Beth grinned. "Well, I might as well get used to your place, right?" She turned around to look into the rear seat. "You were right, he's already asleep." The young woman smiled wistfully, "He's beautiful."

Greg nodded. "The lucky kid looks like his momma; she had those same golden curls and blue eyes." He saw Beth look over at him and could see her mind working to determine why Greg was alone with a small child. "I'm not Carter's biological father. His mom and I were once best friends and I became his adoptive father upon her death."

Beth's eyes widened. "Nick didn't tell me the particulars when he called. Way to man up, Greg."

Greg grinned. "Thanks, but you look at him and tell me how I could have walked away."

A pained look came across Beth's features, "Not every man wants to be a father, Greg. Personally I don't understand it, but it does occur."

"Then it's probably better that those men don't become fathers. I've worked on too many cases that involve children and parents that really shouldn't have been parents in the first place." He glanced over at Beth. "It can be hard enough to be a good parent when you want children, but when you don't…. Well, let's just say I've seen the aftermath of that scenario more than once on my job."

Beth was quiet for a period of time, before responding, "Are you a CSI with Nick, then?"

"I work in the lab as a DNA specialist. I get to deal with a lot of the samples taken from crime scenes."

"It must be hard. I've never understood how Nick can do his job. Being a police officer is one thing, but seeing dead bodies on a daily basis….," her voice trailed off, envisioning what her brother might be doing or seeing at the current moment.

Greg shrugged. "I don't really have to deal with the bodies, unless I'm picking up a sample from the morgue, but I understand what you're saying. It takes a special person to do what Nick and the others do. I thought about asking to train as a CSI, but then Carter came into my life and, well at least in the lab I pretty much have a regular 12 to 8 shift. The CSIs end up with a lot of double, sometimes triple shifts. I couldn't do that to Carter."

Beth turned her head to look out the side window, "Kids will change your priorities in life."

The two sat quietly in the car for several minutes, as Greg drove towards his apartment building. Then the young man said quietly, "I know from personal experience that it's sometimes hard to talk to family about things that are happening. If you ever need an ear, or a shoulder, I hope you'll feel comfortable enough to come to me."

"Thanks," Nick's sister whispered without turning to look at him, her eyes still staring unfocused out the side window.

Greg took a deep breath and acknowledged that Nick was right; Beth did need to leave home for awhile. Hopefully, Nick, Carter, and Vegas would help her heal; her ex must have been a bastard.

* * *

Pulling into the parking lot for his apartment building, Greg parked the sedan and opened his car door, turning to look at Beth before exiting. "If you help me with the bags in the back seat, I'll come out later and get bring in your cases if you need them."

She nodded and followed him out of the car, collecting some of the plastic bags and Carter's diaper bag. Greg gathered up his sleeping son and picked up the remaining bags before locking the car. Walking towards the front door of the building, they spotted an older man sitting on a stone bench located along the walkway.

"Hello Mr. Hedger," Greg called as they grew near, "how have you been feeling?"

The old man looked at Greg with a smile, "Hello, Gregory. I'm doing well. The new medicine is helping with my intestinal problems. I talked to Marie on the telephone today, she told me about her granddaughter. How are you and the little one doing without her?"

"We're good, Mr. Hedger. My friend, Nick, helped out last night and his sister, Beth, came up from Austin to help out also." He looked over at Beth and smiled. "Beth, this is Mr. Hedger. He lives down the hall from Carter and I."

Beth smiled at the man and he gave her a long appraising look. Looking back to Greg, he grinned. "Pretty face and good strong hips on that one, Gregory. The two of you could make right nice babies." Nick's sister blushed, her eyes widening and flying towards Greg in surprise. He smiled at her, then turned back towards the elderly gentleman.

"You're right, Mr. Hedger, Beth is very attractive. I'll keep that in mind." He looked over at Beth and nodded towards the front door. "I'll talk to you later, sir. I've got to get Carter into his crib. Have a nice evening."

Greg's neighbor nodded towards the young man and as Beth passed close by, he whispered, "He's a nice man. You could do a lot worse."

She looked down at him and smiled. "Thanks for the information, sir."

Mr. Hedger nodded sagely. "Not one of those playboys, either. Never seen a string of women leaving his place. Not like that guy that lived there before him."

Beth grinned. "That's good to know, sir." She looked up and saw Greg waiting by the front door, a questioning look on his face. "I better go, he's waiting. I hope to talk to you another time."

The old man nodded. "I'm always around. Don't drive anymore."

Beth hurried to catch up with Greg and his son, smiling at the would-be-matchmaker's words. She could definitely do a lot worse than Greg. Hell, she already had.

* * *

Placing Carter in his crib, Greg nodded towards the bed in the infant's room, "Feel free to use this whenever you're staying with Carter. The sheets are clean." Turning to the dresser he patted the top. "Marie usually kept some clothing here. She stayed on a regular schedule and slept at night. I'm fine with whatever you choose to do, Beth."

Nick's sister smiled. "Let's see how it goes. I tried staying up really late last night and slept in this morning before going to the airport. I thought it might be good to be on Nick's and your schedule."

Greg grinned, and then yawned. "It takes some getting used to."

"Did you get enough sleep today, Greg?" she asked realizing that the young man probably tried to rest when his son was sleeping.

"I got a few hours when Carter took a morning nap," he said trying to stifle another yawn.

Beth walked over to Greg and turned him towards the doorway. "Off to bed with you for a few more then."

"But, supper…," he began.

"You said supper was in the slow-cooker, so it will keep. I'll just spend some time getting to know the set up in the kitchen and snooping through your private things until Carter wakes up." She grinned at the look on Greg's face. "Just kidding. Geez, you're easy, Greg," she chuckled. "Get some sleep. That's why I'm here."

Greg nodded, "Thanks, Beth."

"No problem," she answered, watching as he left the room and crossed the hallway to the master bedroom. Beth turned towards the crib and brushed a curl off of Carter's forehead, before straightening the light cover over his small form. "It's going to be my pleasure," she whispered, gazing at the baby in front of her.

* * *

Greg woke up and looked over at the bedside clock. Ten o'clock. He'd definitely slept longer than he had planned. He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, knowing that it probably looked wilder than normal, and not in a good way. Glancing down at his wrinkled clothing, he grimaced, wanting a shower and a fresh change of clothes, but decided to go check on Carter and Beth first.

He heard laughter, both male and female, coming from the kitchen as he exited the bedroom, and walked in that direction wondering who was there with Nick's sister. He relaxed as he spied Nick sitting on a chair with a sleeping Carter on his lap; Beth was at the kitchen counter cutting something on the chopping board.

"Hey," Greg said as he walked into the kitchen, "I didn't think I'd see you tonight, Nick."

"Aw, I dropped off my samples at the lab and told the swing shift supervisor that I was taking off a couple hours before my regular shift while they processed my evidence. Told him I had family in town." Nick smiled over at his sister, who was carrying a bowl of salad towards the table. "I was just telling Bethie that if you didn't get up in the next five minutes, I was going to go in and wake you up."

Greg grinned at the CSI and noticed the table was set for three. "You waited supper?" he asked surprised.

"Of course we did," Beth replied, "But I was starting to think I was going to have to smack Nick's fingers with the back of a spoon."

"Hey, on the clock here," Nick joked. "I gotta get back to the lab soon."

Greg started towards the counter to help Beth get the food on the table, but she shooed him over to the table as she carried over a large bowl of stew that he had put in the slow-cooker that morning. "I hope you don't mind, I mixed up some biscuits and made some salad," she glanced at Greg as she put the bowl down.

"Homemade biscuits?" Greg asked with surprise and Beth nodded.

Nick's eyes lit up. "I hope you used Mom's recipe," he said.

Beth set the plate of biscuits on the table in front of the men. "Of course, is there any other?" She reached for the sleeping baby. "I'll put him down and be right back." Looking at Greg, she informed him that Carter had napped for about an hour, before waking up earlier. Heading out of the kitchen, she said, "Go ahead and start, guys."

As she walked out of the room, Nick smiled at Greg. "Did I do good, or what?"

Greg nodded. "She'll do great, but I missed having you here today." He smiled at the Texan, blushing when Nick's gaze dropped to his lips.

"I missed being here, too." He dropped the conversation when Beth walked back into the room. Nick looked at his sister and smiled before looking back to Greg. "Bethie has decided to stay here tonight, even though you have the night off. That okay with you, Greg?"

"Sure, we'll have some time to get to know each other and I can answer any questions she might have," the young man answered, smiling at the siblings sitting across the table from each other.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Greg," Beth said, smiling at the young man before taking a bite of her salad.

Nodding, Greg focused on his meal and began to eat; not realizing the young woman was regarding him with an interest that might go beyond his role as Carter's father. But Nick could see the look his sister was giving Greg and began to fear that her interest in the young man might be more than that of a friend of a sibling.

Nick looked back and forth between the two and felt a twinge of unease. How could he let his sister know that Greg and he had just realized they had feelings for each other, when he had never expressed that part of his life to his family prior to this? He wasn't sure he was ready to open up to Beth about that aspect of his life quite yet. Nick realized that he hadn't thought this whole situation through prior to calling Austin and arranging for his sister to come to Vegas to help out his friend.

He'd always planned on telling his family, but had wanted to wait until he was in a relationship so that there would actually be something to tell. Why tell his family he'd discovered he enjoyed the company of men in the bedroom more than the company of a female, if he never found someone he wanted to enter into a long-term relationship with? Nick thought that Greg could be that person, but it appeared his sister could see the potential in the young man also.

"Earth to Nick," Greg joked, startling the Texan. "You okay?" Nick looked back and forth between his sister and Greg, nodding, embarrassed to have been caught wool-gathering at the dinner table. "You better eat, then. If you don't you'll be late for work."

Beth chuckled, "I thought you had fallen asleep with your eyes open, Nicky." She reached across the table and ladled another spoonful of stew onto Greg's plate, giving him a smile.

Nick inwardly groaned and took a bite of his now cool meal. One problem solved and another one created.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

When it was time for Nick to leave for work, Greg walked out of the apartment to follow him to the parking lot, intending to pick up Beth's suitcases from the trunk of his car. In the stairway, when the men reached a landing where they were obstructed from the view of anyone on either of the adjoining floors, Nick leaned up against the wall and pulled Greg towards him for a kiss.

The young man moved into the space between Nick's legs and wrapped his arms around the Texan's waist, opening his mouth in response to the movement of the warm lips on his own. Nick's arms stole around Greg's shoulders and his hands threaded into the tousled hair at the back of the lab tech's head.

After a few minutes of indulgence, Greg forced himself to lean back, breaking contact with Nick's lips, but retaining his hold on the firm back under his palms. "You're going to be late for work," he murmured, his eyes closed and his head straining into Nick's touch.

Nick groaned, "Maybe I could call in sick." He leaned forward to rest his forehead on Greg's and took a deep breath. "I wish I could follow you back upstairs, but…."

Greg slid his hands to the front of Nick's body and up his torso, ghosting his fingers along the strong jaw line in front of him. "…it might be a little much for Beth on her first night here though," the young man finished the sentence with a dirty chuckle.

"I was going to say, …but I really do need to get back to work, however your statement makes a much more compelling reason for me to go." Nick tilted his head and gave Greg one more quick kiss before lowering his arms from the slim, but muscled back of the young man in front of him.

Greg moved back, giving Nick's chest a final pat and taking a steadying breath, allowing the dark haired man to move away from the wall. The two men turned together and continued on down the stairs heading towards the parking lot.

As they reached their respective vehicles, Nick paused and placed a hand on Greg's trunk. "Don't let her move in completely, Greg. It's okay if she leaves some things here for when she needs them, but I think….," his voice trailed off, not wanting to vocalize what he thought was going through his sister's mind earlier.

Greg smiled. "If I was going to move in a member of the Stokes' family, I could think of another member I'd prefer over Beth. No offense to your sister, Nick." He gestured towards Nick's truck, "Get going before you're late. Call if you'll be late for breakfast, okay?"

The CSI nodded and continued on, waving as he pulled out of the parking lot. Greg leaned against the side of his car and grinned at the receding taillights. Giving himself a mental shake, he extracted the cases from the sedan and walked back towards the building, hoping he could convince Beth to tell him some stories about Nick's childhood and teenage years.

* * *

Beth was a talker, Greg decided after finally convincing Nick's sister to try and get some sleep. She had tried really hard to hide her growing sleepiness, but after several yawns, Greg had insisted she get some rest. He'd had a great time talking to her, learning several stories about Nick and his family, but was ready for his alone time. His nights off, when Carter was asleep, was his time to pay his bills, make grocery lists and a multitude of other mundane items that he hated doing when he and his son could be spending time together. Now that Beth was here and Nick was spending more time in the apartment, Greg knew he'd have to stay on top of those little tasks or they would never get accomplished.

After taking care of the tasks he'd planned for the night, he looked at the kitchen floor, deciding that he could sweep and mop it without disturbing Beth. He already knew that he'd be fine with his son, Carter could sleep through almost anything, but he didn't know how light a sleeper Beth might be. He'd wait on cleaning the bathroom until the morning after Nick and Beth left for Nick's place however, since the bathroom and Carter's room shared a common wall.

Finally, after he mixed up a breakfast casserole and set it in the refrigerator to bake later, he acknowledged that there wasn't much more he could do that didn't involve a noise factor. Greg walked towards his own bedroom deciding to catch a few more hours of sleep before his son woke up. As he settled under the sheet and light comforter, Greg smiled. Tomorrow Carter and he would pick up some groceries and maybe stop at the park, a few hours in the sun would do both him and the little guy some good. He made a mental note to ask Beth if she had any food requests, so that he could add them to his shopping list before finally succumbing to sleep.

* * *

Greg awoke and rolling to his back, stretched his body out under the covers, before lifting the corner and sliding his legs and his torso into a sitting position on the edge of the queen-sized bed. Glancing at the clock he realized he'd slept longer than he had intended. Carter was surely awake, and although Beth was in the apartment, Greg liked spending whatever time the two of them were awake at the same time together.

Standing up he quickly pulled the covers up and straightened the bed before heading towards the door intending to check on Carter and Beth. He walked down the hallway and could hear Beth singing along with the radio he had sitting on top of the refrigerator. As he stepped into the kitchen doorway he stopped and smiled. As she sang, Beth was dancing to the rhythm of the music, her hips swaying back and forth as her feet gave the suggestion of a mambo step.

As the song came to a finish, she twirled around accenting the final strains with a flourish of her body, but halted in mid-spin upon seeing Greg in the doorway. He grinned at her. "Nice moves, Beth. We'll have to make sure you get to go out dancing sometime while you're here." She gave a nervous giggle at having been caught in a moment she thought was private, except of course for Carter, who was sitting in his high chair smiling and mashing banana between his fingers.

"Either you've been up awhile, or you must be one of those perky morning people," Greg mused crossing the room and heading towards the coffee pot.

"We've been up about an hour," Beth answered. "Did you sleep well?"

Greg nodded and carried his mug to the table, bending down to kiss the downy curls on top of his son's head. "I slept great. I always try to catch up a little on my sleep whenever I have the night off." He raised his chin and sniffed the air. "You put the casserole in the oven," he realized with a smile. "Thanks."

"No problem," Beth grinned. "I haven't heard from Nick, so I expect him in about a half an hour. He said he'd be by after shift." She carried her own mug of coffee towards the table and sat down across from Greg. "I hope it's okay, but I used some of the apples in the refrigerator to make a crisp. I thought it would be good with the egg casserole and leftover biscuits from last night."

Greg grinned. "And here I thought Marie was going to be the one to fatten me up. I think the torch has passed to you, Beth." He watched her blush and look down at the table.

"I like to keep busy," she replied to his words.

He nodded, chuckling, "I won't complain. By the way, Carter and I are going to go grocery shopping today," he stood and walked over to the counter, bringing back a handwritten list and setting it on the table along with a pen. "Add anything you'd like to eat while you're here, or would like to cook," he gave her a big smile. "I'm not picky."

Beth smiled and picked up the pen. "That's dangerous territory, Greg. I've been known to experiment upon occasion."

"That's fine with me." He looked at his watch. "I think I have time for a quick shower before Nick get's here." The lab tech ran his fingers through Carter's curls and was rewarded with a grin from his son.

Beth nodded and began to add some items to Greg's shopping list, waiting until he turned to lift her eyes and chin to give his retreating back a big grin.

* * *

Later that morning, Greg, along with Nick, had to almost insist Beth leave with her brother. Greg was happy that the young woman wanted to spend time with his son, but realized what her brother had been observant enough to notice the night before, Beth had already begun to transfer all her pent up mothering needs to Carter. At his point, however, he had not begun to notice her focus on himself, but Nick, who knew his sister so well, could easily see her interest in the blonde young man. After Nick and Beth had left, Greg quickly went to work and completed all his noisy chores, anticipating spending the afternoon out and about with Carter.

* * *

Nick carried his sister's, now much lighter, bags into his small craftsman-style house and set them on the bed in his guest room. "I cleaned out some drawers and closet space for you, Beth," he said as he turned back towards his sister.

"I won't need much," she answered. "I left most of it at Greg's."

Nick nodded. He'd suspected as much, having carried his sister's luggage around on previous occasions. His sister had never been a light packer in the past and with her departure date open-ended, he knew that she had probably had to sit on her cases to close them before leaving Austin. "Well, there's room here if you want to bring anything back from there."

"I'll see," she said, as she began to unload the remainder of her clothing into the empty space Nick had set aside for her. She turned to look at her brother who was leaning up against the door jamb. "He's nice, isn't he?" she asked with a smile.

"Who, Carter?" Nick grinned, knowing full well who his sister was referring to with her query.

"Greg, you goof. He's a really nice guy."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, he's great."

Beth smoothed the shirt she was placing in the open drawer. "Is he seeing anyone?" she asked softly, not looking at her brother.

The Texan swallowed hard. The question shouldn't have surprised him, he'd seen the looks on his sister's face last night and again this morning when she was talking to Greg, but somehow it still gave him pause. How much should he say? Everything with Greg was still so very new and unchartered. He stepped away from the doorway and closed the largest case that was resting empty on the bed. "Yeah, he just started seeing someone recently," he replied as he lifted the case to set it inside the closet.

"Oh, that's good," Beth said softly. "I hope she's nice. With all he's done for Carter, he deserves to be happy." She closed the lid on the smaller case and carried it over to the closet, handing it to her brother who was still standing beside the open door.

Nick set the second case beside the first and turned back to his sister. "You'll find someone too, Beth. Give yourself a little time to grieve over the end of your marriage. I know it's hard to be alone, especially since you've never really been alone. Hell, you went straight from your high school boyfriend to dating Tom in college, and then right into marriage after graduation. This is your first time to be unencumbered since junior high. Don't rush into anything, sweetie. Let yourself spread your wings a little."

Beth gave her brother a sad look and he opened his arms, stretching them towards her. Giving a small sob, she stepped within his reach and allowed herself to be comforted by her younger, but much taller and broader brother.

"When you're ready, we'll get you out to meet some more people. There are lots of single guys at work, and although they may not all be your type, it'll give you a chance to get back out there and practice those rusty dating skills of yours," he chuckled against her hair.

She batted Nick on the back with a growl. "Rusty! At least I was in a relationship, little brother. When was the last time you dated anyone seriously?" Beth leaned back to give her brother a loving glare.

Nick smiled down at Beth. "I'm working on it, Sis. Of course having my older sister looking over my shoulder might put a damper on things," he joked good naturedly.

Beth smiled up at Nick and patted him on the cheek. "Well if you and Greg both have someone you're interested in, then I guess I'll have to help both you young guys out. Why don't you and Greg get together and plan a double date for the weekend. This old lady will babysit for Carter, while you two young studs paint the town red."

Nick smiled down at his sister, "Yeah, Beth? Hey, that would be great. Greg and I were talking about wanting to do something like that soon." He pulled his sister in for another hug and bit his lip at the unspoken truth he was harboring. Nick wasn't ready to share any information about his blossoming relationship with Greg so soon, even with his favorite sister. He and Greg would have to talk about what they were willing to share with their co-workers and families regarding their new discoveries about each other. Maybe an evening out together would be the perfect time to discuss that aspect of their mutual attraction. Of maybe that could wait. It would just be nice to spend time with Greg outside of work and get to know him a little better.

* * *

Greg climbed into Nick's truck that evening with a smile. "Thanks again for calling your sister, Nick. She's a godsend."

The older man nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Beth is pretty special." Nick looked over at Greg and smiled. "She really likes Carter," he began, pausing before finishing, "and you, too."

Greg smiled and fastened his seatbelt. "I'm glad that she's not second guessing her decision to come here to help out," he responded, looking back over at Nick when he didn't continue the conversation. "What?"

Nick gave the lab tech a grin. "She asked me if you were seeing anybody."

"Seeing anybody? Is she worried I'll ask her to stay with Carter more often?" he suddenly stopped talking. "Oh, she asked because….?"

"Yeah," Nick answered, pulling out of the parking lot and into the residential traffic, which was light at that time of night. "I believe my sister was sizing you up as dating, or possibly husband, material."

"Me, why?"

"I can't decide if it is because of Carter, the fact that you stepped forward to take care of a child when you didn't have to, or….," he looked over and smiled at Greg, "if it's because you're so darn cute."

Greg started to chuckle and rested his head back on the headrest. "Cute, huh? So what exactly did you tell her, Nick? Did you out us to your sister?"

The Texan lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I told her you had just started seeing someone, but that when she was ready I'd introduce her to some of our other co-workers."

The young man grinned and began a mental rundown of the unattached males working at the crime lab. "Hey, you should start with Grissom. Being a brother-in-law to the shift supervisor could really be helpful when asking for days off."

"Oh yeah, that would be smart. Ecklie would probably move me to another shift claiming Grissom couldn't be impartial or he was showing nepotism."

Greg nodded sagely and looked out of the truck window. "I've got it!" he exclaimed turning back to Nick. "You should just introduce her to…."

Nick growled at Greg before he could finish his sentence. "I will not introduce her to Ecklie. Even if they did hit it off, which I doubt, I refuse to sit across from the man during Thanksgiving dinner."

Greg laughed out loud at Nick's reaction. After a few minutes he continued his musings. "Well, let's see…. There's always Bobby, Archie and Hodges from the lab, and I know of a couple of other lab techs from the swing shift who are single." He turned toward Nick and asked, "Does Beth have problem with guns?"

Nick shook his head and grinned at his passenger. "Stupid question, Greg. Beth's from Texas. She was practically born with a gun in her hands."

"So we can keep Bobby in the running. How does she feel about science fiction?"

The dark-haired man looked over with a bemused look on his face. "Science fiction?"

"Yeah," Greg chuckled. "Archie is a huge science fiction fan. Just ask him a question about any part of the Star Trek franchise, or Star Wars, or…"

"Okay, I get it. Archie's into science fiction. I can't say that I've ever noticed that about my sister. Maybe my teenage nephew, but not Beth." Nick smiled over at Greg. "How about we keep Archie in reserve for right now?"

Greg smiled in return. "So Bobby's a possible starter, Archie's second string, and Grissom and Ecklie are bench warmers. That leaves Hodges…."

Nick gave a heavy sigh. "Not my favorite person, but I could probably deal with him during holidays if I had too. Of course we might not even both get off on the same holiday, so that could work, but he's not my first choice."

"You are really putting some thought into this," Greg laughed. "You must be serious about missing your sister if you're willing to set her up with someone you don't even like to keep her around Vegas."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I really miss not having her around. I could almost put up with anyone to have her close."

Greg sat up straight and turned towards Nick as far as his seatbelt would allow. "Hey, how does Warrick feel about kids?"

"Are you planning on asking him to babysit?" Nick asked with a snicker.

"No silly, I'm thinking about your sister. She's your favorite sister and he's your best friend, it's a match made in heaven," Greg answered, almost bouncing in his seat.

"Warrick?" Nick tilted his head and Greg could tell he was giving the idea some serious thought.

Greg nodded. "Warrick. I think we definitely have a starter. We can keep Bobby in reserve."

Nick nodded. "Definitely Warrick." As he pulled into the parking garage beside the crime lab, Nick turned to Greg, "By the way, Beth has volunteered to babysit this weekend so that you and I can double date."

Greg smiled. "Double date, huh. Is it going to bother you not being a hundred percent honest with your sister?"

"Well, I haven't out and out lied to her yet. I hope I won't have to. Would you like to go out this weekend and talk about what we're going to tell people?" Nick asked, as he reached out to run his hand along Greg's arm.

"Sounds good. What are you going to tell Beth?"

"That I'm dating a tall, good looking blonde. I don't want to lie to my sister," he said with a huge grin.

Greg grinned in return. "If she asks I'll have to tell her my date has a great body and bedroom eyes."

Nick snorted and opened the door of the truck. "Let's get to work. If it gets any deeper in here, we're gonna need hip waders."

Greg laughed out loud and followed the Texan through the parking garage towards the lab.

* * *

AN: Oh yea of little faith...did you really think I'd allow Nick to sit back and let Beth slip in under the radar and snatch Greg away? Did you really think Greg would pass on Nicky? tut, tut, tut...


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Greg sat at the table in the break room and took a sip of his coffee, the containers from his mid-shift meal setting on the table in front of him. He looked up as Warrick and Nick entered the room arguing good naturedly about their case.

"Naw, it has to be the wife, Nick. Didn't you see how she reacted to us finding the knife?" Warrick said, as he opened a can of soda and plopped down on the couch against the back wall.

Nick shook his head, taking a brown bag from the refrigerator under the counter, "I think it's the business partner. He stands to gain the most. The entire business reverts to him. He set the wife up to take the fall." He smiled at Greg as he sat down across from him and opened the bag taking out a sandwich and apple.

Greg grinned at Nick and looked over at Warrick. "Maybe they're in it together. Could they be having an affair?"

Warrick and Nick looked at each other in surprise. "Could be, Greg. Even as they denied killing the guy, they kept defending each other," the green-eyed man said. "Guess we need to look a little deeper into their relationship. Nice call, man."

The lab tech shrugged, "Sex, it's the oldest reason in the world for killing someone. Bring me some samples." He sat back biting his lower lip, before smiling at the man sitting across from him. "Speaking about sex, I heard your sister is in town, Nick. How about setting a guy up?"

"Did you just use the words sex and my sister in the same sentence, Greg? Maybe you're looking to be the next body on Robbins' autopsy table." Nick growled at the young man sitting across from him.

Greg sat up straight and held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry man, it was a joke." He looked over at Warrick for help.

Warrick shook his head. "You're on your own, Sanders." He looked over at Nick. "Which sister is in town?"

Nick gave Greg one last dirty look as the blonde man rose, turning his back to Warrick and winking at the Texan. Attempting to hide a smile at Greg's little endeavor at bringing his sister into the conversation, Nick looked back over at Warrick. "The youngest, Beth. She recently went through a divorce and needed to get away from the family for awhile."

Warrick nodded, "Be nice to meet your sister, Nick. I haven't really met much of your family, other than your brother when he was here with his old college buddies a couple of years ago."

"Sure, man. How about we get together for supper some night before shift?" Nick smiled at his best friend. "I'm sure Beth would love to meet a few people in Vegas. She may be around for awhile. Heck, I'd love it if she stayed forever."

"Uh, hey Nick," Greg said quietly. Nick looked over at the young man. "I didn't mean any disrespect. I'm sure your sister is sweetheart."

Nick tried to hold in a grin, giving the lab tech a grim-faced nod. "She is, and I'm not setting her up with a 'player' like you so don't ask again."

Greg nodded and rinsed his cup out in the sink. "Well, I better get back to work. Later guys." He picked up his empty food containers and headed out into the hallway, leaving the two CSIs alone in the room.

"Sanders needs to think before opening his mouth," the older CSI said, nodding toward the open doorway. "So, what does your sister look like?" Warrick asked, as Nick hid his grin by biting into his apple.

* * *

"I can't believe you said that," Nick snorted, grinning over at the young man sitting in the passenger seat of his truck.

Greg chuckled. "It got Warrick's attention, didn't it? What did he say after I left the break room?"

"Oh, it got his attention. He asked what Beth looked like," Nick answered with a smile. "If it's okay with Beth, and work doesn't interfere, we'll go out to eat with 'Rick on Friday night before shift."

"I'd love to be a fly on the wall of that restaurant, but of course you wouldn't let this 'player' anywhere near your sister." The two men laughed together, then Greg brought his hand down on his knee and turned to Nick, "If things go well at the restaurant make sure to invite Warrick back to your house for dessert. If he tastes Beth's apple cobbler, he'll be down for the count."

Nick grinned. "Good idea. I'll be sure to have her bake one on Friday." He stopped at a red light and looked over at Greg. "I'm sure that the fact that Beth is babysitting for Carter will come up over dinner. Warrick's going to know he got played."

Greg shrugged his shoulders. "By then hopefully he'll find Beth so captivating that he'll be thanking us for our subterfuge. She's really special. If I wasn't so into her brother, I might be tempted," he teased playfully.

Nick smiled at his words. "You and I, Saturday night. Beth offered to babysit and I think we should take her up on it before Warrick, or some other guy, decides to monopolize all her free time."

"Sounds good," Greg answered with a smile. "I can't wait." He shifted over towards Nick as far as his seatbelt would allow and rested his hand on the other man's leg. "Anything special you'd like to do?"

"Oh yeah," Nick grinned, looking over at Greg. "But we'd better settle for dinner, and maybe a movie." He waggled his eyebrows and gave the young man a dirty grin.

Greg laughed out loud. "And I'm the 'player'? Nice, Stokes."

"Yeah, you're a 'player' and I'm inviting you to join me at the playground. How about it, Greg?" Nick teased.

"Saturday," Greg said softly, resting his head on the back of the car seat.

"Saturday," Nick echoed, lowering his right hand from the steering wheel to cover Greg's left hand that still rested on his thigh.

* * *

Nick was finishing up buttoning his shirt and tucking it into his dark jeans when he heard the doorbell ring. He walked out of the bedroom a couple of steps and called down the stairs, "Can you get the door, Beth?" When his sister called back in the affirmative, Nick retuned to his closet to select a belt. Walking back to the doorway, he paused, listening to the voices downstairs.

"Hi, you must be Warrick," he heard his sister say. "I'm Nick's sister, Beth."

Warrick's deep voice carried upstairs much better. "Hey Beth, it's nice to finally meet you. Nick mentions his family often, but you're only the second family member I've had a chance to meet."

"Who else have you met?" Nick heard Beth ask, as the couple walked past the bottom of the stairway into the living room.

"Your older brother was here a few years ago. Nick and I went out to eat with him and his old college buddies." Warrick's voice grew softer as the couple moved further away from the stairway.

Nick smiled as he threaded the belt through the loops on his jeans. He wondered how long he could stay upstairs, letting the two get to know each other, before his absence would be too obvious. He hoped that there would be sparks of some kind between his sister and best friend. Beth needed someone, something to ease her back into the dating scene, and although Warrick had a bit of a reputation as a ladies man, he knew that the seasoned CSI would treat Beth right, if only because of her relationship to his co-worker and friend.

He felt guilty wishing that Warrick and Beth would hit it off so well that they'd want to leave him at home and then he could sneak over to Greg's house for a few hours before they would both have to leave for work. Nick gave a sigh and flicked off the light switch for the bedroom and moved out into the hallway, heading for the stairs.

As he descended, the voices from the living room grew louder and he could hear his sister giggling at something Warrick had said. Smiling, Nick entered the living room and could see his sister and best friend sitting on the couch angled towards each other. It appeared that even if this combination would not result in a love connection, at least there was a strong possibility of a friendship emerging from Greg's and his maneuverings.

Warrick looked up at the Texan and raised his eyebrows, "I thought it was the ladies who were supposed to take the extra time getting ready?"

Nick raised his eyebrows and gave his buddy a forced grin. "Ha ha, 'Rick. You're such a comedian." Warrick grinned in return as Nick walked over to the side table and picked up his cell phone and keys. "So you two finding anything to talk about?" he asked, trying to appear disinterested.

Beth raised her chin slightly and grinned, "Yeah little brother, you."

The brown-eyed man turned around quickly and looked back and forth between the two still sitting on the couch. "Me?"

The two gave each other a conspiratory look before looking back at Nick. "So, you liked having tea parties with Beth and her dollies?" Warrick teased good-naturedly.

Nick gave his sister a look that said 'two can play this game' and smiled at his friend. "Sure, she served those dolls chocolate chip cookies. Whenever her back was turned, I would clean off all their little plates. I do not apologize for indulging in the opportunity to eat my Momma's chocolate chip cookies."

"So your momma is a good baker, huh? Any chance you can get her to send you a care package? I haven't had any decent homemade goodies since my grandma passed away."

Beth turned back towards Warrick and placed a hand on his knee in sympathy. "Oh honey, I can bake you some cookies. Is there any special type you'd prefer?"

Warrick looked at her in surprise. "You'd bake for me?"

"Of course I would," she responded. "I'll make you some special, but until then, do you like sugar cookies? I made some fresh to take to Carter and there are plenty."

He nodded. "Yeah, that would be great, but you really don't have to…."

Smiling, Beth shook a finger at him and stood. "Just give me a couple of minutes to package some up for you before we leave." She turned and walked towards the kitchen.

As she left the room Nick grinned at his friend, "You're in luck. My momma is a great baker, but Beth is even better." He leaned down close to his friend and whispered. "When the waitress asks you if you want dessert, ask if they have apple cobbler. Beth just made one today and we could come back here to have dessert, if you like. Beth's cobbler will be better than anything you'll find at a restaurant, I can guarantee that."

Warrick looked up at his friend in amazement. "She's beautiful and she can bake. Why in the hell did her husband ever let her go?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "That's Beth's story to tell, but I will tell you our family was not sorry to see the screen door hit his butt on his way out of her life."

The two men silenced their discussion as Beth reentered the living room with a baggie full of cookies. Warrick stood and accepted the plastic bag with a grin. "If we don't leave for the restaurant soon, I'm not going to be responsible for the crumbs I leave on the floor."

Beth and Nick laughed in response. Warrick looked over at his co-worker and grinned, before looking back over at Beth. "I don't suppose you make fruit cobblers, too?"

Nick snorted and Beth looked back and forth between the two men. "Someone's been telling tales, I see." She walked over to her brother and patted him on the chest. "I guess you need to run into the store on the way home and pick up some vanilla ice cream, then. I will not serve Warrick apple cobbler for dessert without a scoop of ice cream."

Warrick's eyes gleamed as he watched Nick nod in agreement. This was already turning out to be a pretty special night and they hadn't even left Nick's house yet. He wondered if Beth might be ready to start dating again, and if so, how his best friend would feel about his asking his sister out on a date. The night was still young, but he was already anticipating the fresh-baked dessert sitting on the kitchen counter, it would be the perfect ending to an evening with a beautiful woman, even if the woman's brother was in tow.

* * *

Beth was rinsing the dessert plates and tableware, when Nick walked back in from closing the front door behind Warrick.

"Are you about ready to head over to Greg's?" Nick asked his sister.

Beth dried her hands on a dish towel and gave him a smile over her shoulder. "Just let me package up some of this cobbler for Greg and I'll be ready," she answered, opening a cupboard to pull out a plastic container with a lid.

"I'm surprised that there is any left," Nick chuckled, "Warrick really enjoyed it."

"He did, didn't he?" she said, as she used a large spoon to transfer the fruity dessert from one container to another.

Nick could almost see the wheels turning in his sister's mind. He walked over and rested a hip against the counter. "A penny for your thoughts."

"Only a penny?" she chuckled, snapping the lid on the plastic container.

"Bad economy, Bethie." He looked at his sister and waited for a response.

Rinsing off the spoon and covering the baking dish that held the remaining cobbler, Beth hesitated before answering. "Nick, am I trying too hard to find someone?" she whispered.

"What do you mean, honey?" he asked, reaching out to lift her chin so that she was making eye contact with him.

Beth bit her lower lip, before giving a deep breath out. "I meet Greg and suddenly I'm thinking how nice it would be to move myself right into his little family. Now I meet Warrick and all I can think about is how I'd love to spend the rest of my life baking him cobblers and cookies." She brought her arms up to wrap them around herself in comfort. "Maybe I should find a nunnery and have them lock me in until the alarm on my biological clock gives up."

Nick took a step forward and enclosed his sister in a hug. "You don't have to try so hard, Beth. Just be yourself."

Beth wrapped her arms around her brother and rested her head on his shoulder. "Please lock me in the basement if I start to embarrass you."

He laughed out loud and held her tightly. "I promise, sweetheart, but I don't anticipate that being necessary. But," he paused and shrugged his shoulders, "it's always nice to know I have your permission."

Beth leaned back and brought her hands up to Nick's shoulders and gave him a light punch to one arm. "Be good, or I'll tell Daddy on you."

Nick pretended to block any additional punches and chuckled. "Tattle on me, Bethie and I'll tell Momma you're trying to seduce men with baked goods."

The dark haired woman picked up the plastic container and turned to walk out of the kitchen, but stopped and looked at her brother over her shoulder. "Go ahead and tell Momma. Why do you think she made sure all of us girls could bake well enough to win a Pillsbury Bake Off if we entered?" Beth wiggled her eyebrows and gave her brother a grin.

Nick stood in the middle of the kitchen staring at his sister's departing back. Perhaps he and Greg didn't have to worry about manipulating their co-workers. Maybe he'd just ask Beth to bake a basket of goodies that could be left in the break room. He smiled and walked out of the kitchen. It was time to drive his sister over to Greg's apartment and to pick up the young man for work. He'd fill the lab tech in on the new developments during the drive to the crime lab.

* * *

"Are you really going to eat that on the way to work?" Nick asked incredulously as Greg opened the plastic container and pulled a spoon from the paper bag on his lap.

Greg smiled. "Just a few bites. I'll save the rest for my break." He lifted a bite of the cobbler to his mouth and made a little orgasmic sound.

Nick snorted. "Just don't leave any crumbs in my truck, man. I just vacuumed out the inside last week."

The lab tech swallowed and looked over at his co-worker with a smile. "If I get crumbs on your seat are you going to stop the truck and make me walk to work?" He continued to watch Nick, as the driver gave him a somewhat annoyed look.

"I'm not going to kick you out," he acknowledged, noting Greg's grin. "But, I will tell Beth not to pack you up any goodies from my house anymore."

Greg swallowed a second bite. "You wouldn't really do that, would you?" He gave Nick his best sad puppy dog look.

"Try me, Sanders."

Greg nodded his head and snapped the lid back on the container. "Noted, and filed for future reference." Slipping the container and spoon back into the paper sack, he looked back over at Nick. "Beth seemed quiet tonight. Did things with Warrick not go so good?"

Nick sighed. "They went great. In fact, Beth really likes Warrick. She's just worried that she's trying too hard to find someone again."

"That sucks," Greg reflected. "She needs someone to take the initiative and pursue her." He glanced over at Nick. "Do you think Warrick might be interested?"

Nick chuckled. "Well, he was sure interested in her cobbler and cookies."

"That sounded positively dirty," the blonde responded with a snicker.

"I didn't mean it that way," Nick said, pulling into the parking garage near the crime lab. "If I get paired with Warrick tonight, I'll get a chance to see where his head is at."

Greg nodded and unhooked his seatbelt, gathering up his belongings. "Did the fact that Beth is watching Carter come up at all?"

Nick shook his head. "It surprised me. Warrick didn't ask Beth any questions about how she was spending her time here in Vegas." He looked over at Greg. "But if they do see each other again, I'm sure it will come out."

The two men began walking towards the building housing the crime lab.

"No big deal," Greg said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't care if people know about Carter. I just didn't want everyone to think I was playing the pity card. Grissom already knows. He's been great about trying to keep me on a regular schedule as much as possible."

"What about Ecklie?" Nick asked, knowing that often both CSIs and lab techs were called in to help cover other shifts in an emergency.

"I haven't said anything to him. I don't want him to think that as a single father I'm not viable for consideration as head of the lab when Jackie retires. Grissom agrees with me."

Nick nodded. "Makes sense. We'll just have to make sure that Warrick understands why you have kept it quiet."

Greg sighed and pulled open the outer door of their workplace. "Whatever happens, happens. Carter is too important to me to worry about how his being in my life is going to affect my career."

Nick smiled. "Spoken like a true father, Greg."

Greg smiled at the Texan. "That's me, Papa Greg." He looked up and saw Warrick walking out of the locker room. "You're on, Nick. Go get him."

Nick nodded and jogged forward. "Hey Warrick, wait up."

* * *

AN: Thanks for all the positive input. Your reviews are appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

It was 4:15 a.m. and the lab was uncharacteristically quiet as two of the workers sat in the break room. The green-eyed CSI was sitting forward on the institutional couch, his elbows resting on his knees, the slender lab tech seated at the long rectangular table. Warrick watched Greg as he opened a plastic container and spooned out a bite of gold-colored dessert. "What ya got, Greg?" he asked.

"Apple cobbler." He kept his gaze down and purposely tried to discontinue the conversation, not wanting to make the intuitive man suspicious, but Warrick didn't notice, or chose to ignore, his body cues.

"I had apple cobbler tonight, too. Nick's sister made it. She's one great baker." Warrick leaned back against the back of the couch and rested his hands on his stomach. "It was so good I almost wished I hadn't eaten supper first, so that I could have eaten more of it."

Greg grinned. "That good, huh?" It looked like he might get the lowdown on how Nick's best friend felt about his sister before the Texan had a chance to interrogate the poor devil. He looked over at the man and tried to decide how to best continue the conversation, but Warrick didn't need any prompting to make his feelings known.

"She packaged up some homemade cookies for me, too." He lifted one foot and rested his long leg across the one still making contact with the floor. "I'll have to admit she wasn't quite what I expected."

"Oh?" Greg turned in his seat, presenting his body more fully to Warrick, hoping it would show his openness and willingness to listen to the other man's words. "How so?"

"With her father being a judge, I expected her to be a little more 'garden club meets country club' type, but she wasn't like that at all. She seemed really genuine and down-to-earth."

Greg shrugged his shoulders. "That doesn't surprise me. Nick's down-to-earth." He lifted his arms, resting one on the table and one along the back of his chair. "Was she cute?" he asked, deciding to push it as far as he could.

Warrick's lips curled into a smile. "Oh yeah. She had these big brown eyes and long dark hair."

"Yeah?"

Warrick nodded and his eyes sparkled. "Guess I'm a lucky man that Nick already told you to stay away from her."

Greg gave the reclining man a surprised look. "Why, do you think she's my type?"

Warrick snorted at the young man. "She's breathing, ain't she?"

Deciding to take the higher road, Greg chose to ignore the blatant dig by the CSI. "I'd like to think I'm a little more discerning than that. I only date women who are breathing AND ambulatory."

"So that leaves out the bedridden on life support then, huh?" a low voice behind him chuckled.

Greg whipped his head around and smiled at Nick who was standing in the doorway. "You're back. Did you bring me evidence to process?"

Nick grinned at the eagerness in his voice. "Only you could be excited about processing the stuff I brought back, Greggo."

"Well," Greg retorted, glancing back over his shoulder at the man on the couch before continuing, "processing your evidence has to be better than listening to Warrick go on and on about your cute sister that I've been told to stay away from."

Nick looked past Greg to the couch where Warrick was sitting. "So you think my sister is cute, do you, Warrick?"

The tall man sat up as straight as the uncomfortable couch would allow. "Yeah Nick, I do. Is that a problem?"

"Naw, I guess not." Nick said with a smile. He looked back at Greg. "You going to get to my evidence anytime soon, man?"

Greg looked back down at the table and the remains of his meal. Gathering up his wrappers and utensils, he snapped the lid back on his half-eaten dessert. "At the rate I'm going I guess I'll end up eating this for breakfast."

"Just toss it, Greg, and ask Nick to bring you some of Beth's cobbler. It'll put that stuff to shame. I promise you." Warrick said, feeling a little bad that the young man hadn't had a chance to finish his meal.

"Would you, Nick?" Greg asked with a smile. "I'd really like to see what I'm missing out on."

Nick walked into the room and past Greg, requiring the young man to turn and face him and Warrick, when he spoke. "I'll see what I can do, Greg." He gave the blonde a huge grin, glad that his placement in the room kept Warrick from seeing his facial expression.

Greg nodded. "Is your evidence in my lab or the evidence locker?"

"Locker. I wasn't sure how long you'd be before going back," Nick answered. "Thanks, Greg."

"No problem. Later guys." He pivoted and walked out of the room with a wave.

Nick waited for a moment and then turned to look at his best friend. "So, you think my sister is cute, huh? Are you wanting my blessing to ask her out?"

* * *

"I talked to Beth about what to say when Warrick asks her about how she's spending her time in Vegas," Nick said, as the two men ate their meal. "I told her to ask that he keep it quiet and talk to you first, before talking about it to anyone else in the lab."

"Thanks Nick." Greg smiled across the table. "So Warrick is definitely interested in Beth then?"

Nick grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh yeah. I gave him her cell phone number and my permission to ask her out, but told him she was already busy tonight." He stretched one of his legs out under the table and tapped Greg's foot with a smile. "I didn't want her changing her plans and leaving us without a babysitter."

The blond wiggled his eyebrows in response. "Good thinking, this might be the last time we get to do this for awhile."

"I've been thinking about that," Nick acknowledged with a nod. "I'm going to suggest that Beth ask Warrick to help her watch Carter as often as possible. She needs to know right up front if he's going to want a family if their relationship gets that far along."

"Your middle name should be Devious," Greg said with a smile.

Nick just shook his head. "You're the one who got his interest up, Greg. I'm only providing my sister with some ideas to keep her heart safe this time around."

"Warrick's a good man, Nick. He won't hurt Beth on purpose." Greg returned with all seriousness.

"I know. It's just that I don't think her ex-husband thought he was hurting her either. He didn't bother to think about how his actions would impact her at all. Beth needs someone that puts her wants, needs and feelings first for once. I hope that if Warrick and she get to that point that they take the time to have an honest discussion of where they each see their future taking them." Nick pushed the remaining vegetables around on his plate with the back of his fork.

Greg nodded. "Tell them both that up front. Beth will understand and Warrick is your best friend, he'll understand why you are suggesting that action. I'd just wait awhile to do it. You need to see if their initial attraction will continue to grow, or if they'll just end up being friends."

Nick smiled at the man across the table from him. "You are wise beyond your years, Sanders."

"Nana Olaf always says that I'm an old soul in a young body." Greg tapped his fingertips on the table to a beat only he could hear.

"A hot, young body," the dark-haired man chuckled with a leer.

Greg smiled at his dinner date. "It's nice that an old man, such as yourself, has been able to keep his own body in such fine working order, too."

Nick sat forward and rested his forearms on the table, leaning across the table towards Greg. "One of these days you'll get first hand knowledge of just how fine that working order is, G. I may be a few years older than you, but that has just given me a few more years of knowing how to get everything just right."

Greg bit his lower lip and exhaled slowly. "You're killing me here with your idea about taking this slowly, Nick. We've known each other for two years."

The Texan reached out to rub his right thumb over the back of the young man's hand resting on the table. "We've worked together for two years, Greg; we only opened up about our mutual attraction five days ago. I could jump into bed with you tonight, but I've always enjoyed the courtship factor in my previous relationships. Flings are just that, flings. I want this to have a chance of lasting. I won't jeopardize my future with you by going too fast." He looked carefully at Greg's face gauging the young man's reaction to his words.

Greg took a deep breath and dipped his head slightly. "I can do slow, Nick. I don't want a fling either. Maybe that's been my trouble all along. I tend to be impatient and rush things when I know what I want." He turned his hand to capture Nick's hand tightly. "Hiding my feelings for you has been the hardest thing I've ever done. I was so afraid that admitting them to you would end our friendship entirely. I couldn't allow that to happen."

Nick gave him a smile. "I finally decided that I had to speak. You looked so sad sitting there in that chair. When you looked at me I saw what I hoped was longing, but ….," his voice trailed off for an instant. "Even if I had been wrong, I knew I had to try. Earlier that morning when you asked me to breakfast you used the pronoun 'us'. I was so jealous. I hoped that you were with a woman so that I could walk away knowing that if I had acted sooner it wouldn't have made a difference." He grimaced. "I was so afraid I was going to find some male lover in your bed. A male lover who wasn't me."

Greg gave Nick a small smile. "There hasn't been anyone in my bed since I started in the lab. No one has ever made me want to invite them there. No one has ever lived up to my fantasies of you."

Nick's eyes widened and grew dark with lust. "You haven't been with anyone in two years?"

"No," Greg answered quietly.

"I wish I could say the same," Nick acknowledged sadly. "I can only say that no one I've brought into my bed in the last two years has ever been asked back. None of them ever satisfied the need that being around you has created."

Greg's eyes suddenly glistened with unshed tears. "Do we have to go to a movie? I'd rather just be somewhere quiet with you." He watched as Nick started to try to dissuade him from his quest for a change of plans. "I don't mean sex, Nick. I just would like to sit with you and be close. I don't want to have to try to drown out a movie, or a couple of hundred other people in the process."

Nick nodded and raised his hand to get their waitress's attention. "How about my couch, some soft lights, and your choice of music?"

The young man nodded with a smile. "I'm okay with that, Nick." He waited until Nick had handed the waitress his credit card and then gave the Texan a cheeky grin. "You do have decent music over at your place, don't you?"

Nick gave him a quiet growl. "Love me, love my music, G." Watching Greg's eyes widen at his words, he leaned over the table and said softly, "If you don't like my cds, then we can listen to the radio tonight and go shopping for something you do like tomorrow afternoon."

Greg grinned. "Tonight you could play hillbilly blue grass and I'd think it was opera." Nick smiled at his words and then Greg gave him another big smile. "Of course, I can't stand opera."

Nick bit back his retort as the waitress came back with his credit card. Looking back at Greg, his gaze softened. "Let's get out of here, G." Greg nodded and they both rose and headed for the exit, their shoulders brushing against each other as they tried to maintain the bond they had just forged.

* * *

"So, you and Greg, huh?"

Nick startled and his head rotated towards Sara. "What are you talking about?" He turned back to the table he was dusting for fingerprints and tried to maintain an air of indifference.

"Yeah Stokes, that ain't gonna work on me. I've been watching you both for the past two weeks. The two of you have tried so hard not to touch each other it's crazy. Used to be you were always patting him on the back and he was always moving into your space, trying to get your attention. Now you're both working at trying to avoid each other, but not like you've had a falling out. It's my belief that you both finally got your heads out of your respective asses and admitted your feelings for each other. It's about time. I betted it would have been last October. I lost a hundred bucks in the office pool."

Nick stood and turned to face his coworker. "Office pool! What the hell, Sara?"

Sara grinned. "Yeah, it's been going on for eighteen months. Everyone picked a month and put in a hundred bucks. Once my month passed I was eligible to put more money in and pick a month that was still open. I didn't choose to do it, but from all intents and purposes it looks like Grissom is the winner."

"What exactly had to happen for Grissom to win?" Nick asked nonchalantly.

Sara shrugged. "It was all laid out very clearly. Sex in its basest form, Nick. No one was willing to settle for the touchy feely stuff." She looked over at her friend and smiled. "So did Grissom win?"

Nick returned her smile. "Who has next month, Sara?"

The dark-haired woman's eyes lit up and she gave a huge smile. "April? It's still open. Everyone has been afraid that you and Greg have become a lost cause."

"If I was a betting man, Sara, I would put money down on next month. Do you think they would take my bet?" Nick grinned with a leer.

"Probably not, all that insider trading stuff, you know. But if you want to front me the money I could place the bet and we could split the winnings. The pot's pretty big right now." Sara was beaming at the idea.

Nick returned to his task, asking, "Would my split be enough to treat Greg to a really nice evening?"

Sara chuckled. "You could probably wrangle a pretty nice weekend out of your winnings, Nick."

He turned to look at his coworker again and laid down his fingerprint brush, peeling off his latex gloves. Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out his wallet. "A hundred, you said?" At her nod he handed her the correct amount and replacing his wallet, went back to work. "This is our secret, right Sara?" Checking to make sure his coworker nodded, he smiled. "I'm trying hard to prove to Greg that I'm a gentleman and so we're taking it slow. It has been about two weeks since we admitted our feelings, but so far Grissom hasn't won the bet."

Sara nodded. "I'm happy for you two. I'd almost given up hope that you guys would ever get together. You do realize you're perfect for each other, right?"

Nick looked around to make sure they were still alone before responding. "He's the one who's perfect."

"Awww," Sara groaned. "Why couldn't you have been straight?"

"I tried to prove to myself that I was for a long time. But one day I finally admitted to myself that I wasn't. I couldn't admit it to my family at that point, so I moved to Vegas. I needed the space to make peace with that knowledge on my own."

"And now…"

Nick took a deep breath. "I think that it's about time my family knew the truth. I'm hoping that Greg and I are in it for the long haul. For his sake, I need to be honest with my family."

Sara nodded. "How do you think they'll take it?"

"I just don't know. I think that deep in their hearts they may already know. My mom stopped pressuring me about finding a good woman and settling down a few years ago. Last Christmas my dad was careful about his wording when he asked if I was bringing 'anyone' home."

"They'll love Greg. It's hard not to," she admitted with a shrug. "He could have had anyone of the single lab techs, male or female, in his bed since he started. Hell, maybe even a few of the married ones."

Nick smiled, remembering Greg's admission of being chaste for the last two years.

"Hell, Ecklie's going to be a bear when the information gets out."

Nick's head snapped back towards Sara. "Ecklie?"

Sara gave him a 'sorry' look and shrugged her shoulders. "He's been sniffing around Greg ever since he joined the lab. Grissom's been running interference since his first day."

"How did I not know this?" Nick asked thunderstruck.

Sara just grinned. "Hell Nick, you couldn't even see Greg's reaction to you, how could you possibly have seen Ecklie's stalker-azzi behavior? He's been trying to transfer Greg to the day-shift since the beginning. Grissom finally told Ecklie that if he ordered the transfer that Greg would most probably quit. That finally shut him up for awhile."

"I wonder what he'll do when he finds out about the two of us," Nick asked softly.

Sara shrugged her shoulders. "He'll be an ass. That's who he is. But if he raises a stink just go to Grissom. He's been keeping track of all Ecklie's inappropriate verbalizations and actions. Greg may have enough there for a sexual harassment suit."

"Oh shit," Nick muttered.

"Yeah," his coworker agreed. "But on the plus side, we're going to be able to enjoy the winnings of the office pool."

Nick nodded, his mind on other things.

* * *

AN: Sorry I missed answering the last few reviews, I finished a sixty hour work week today. I'm posting this before I fall asleep with my laptop in my lap. Hope you enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

"I'd like to have a cookout on Saturday. What do you think, Greg?" Nick asked as the two men were driving to work on Monday evening.

Greg shrugged. "Sounds good. Who are you planning on inviting?" He turned to watch the dark-haired man drive.

"Thought I'd invite the CSIs from our shift and anyone from the lab that you'd like to be there."

Greg gave him a thoughtful look. "Is there any particular reason for this cookout?"

Nick pulled up to a stoplight and turned his head to look at his soon-to-be-lover. "We've been dating for almost a month. I'm ready to take it to the next level, if you are. Part of that involves telling the people in our lives that we're seeing each other exclusively. Are you okay with that?"

"Very alright, Nick." He continued to watch the other man as Nick pressed on the accelerator and continued towards the crime lab. After a few minutes he asked, "Nick, do you know if Beth is free Friday night?"

"I think so, Greg. Do you want to go out?" Nick asked.

Greg leaned back against the seat, tilting his head towards the driver's side. "No, I'd like to stay in. That is if Beth wouldn't mind watching Carter at your house instead."

Nick pulled his truck over to the side of the road and snicked off his seatbelt, turning towards Greg in one fluid motion. "Greg….?"

The young blonde smiled suggestively. "If we're going to out ourselves to all our coworkers, then I definitely think we're ready for all that admission suggests, don't you?" Nick took a deep breath, but stayed silent waiting for Greg to finish. "I want it to be in my bed the first time, Nick. My bed has been waiting for you for a long time. It deserves some action."

Nick gazed into Greg's eyes and slowly nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right. We'll talk to Beth in the morning."

Greg reached out and ran his thumb across Nick's chin. "We need to tell her before the others. She's family."

Nick nodded in agreement. "We'll tell her tomorrow." He leaned towards Greg, who although still constricted by his seatbelt met him almost halfway. Their lips gently touching in agreement. "Tomorrow."

* * *

Grissom called all the night shift CSIs together to pass out assignments. Warrick and Catherine were joking and Sara was trying to get Gil's attention, as always. Nick watched them, enjoying their easygoing banter.

As his supervisor called the group to attention, Nick held up a finger, asking for a minute. "I just wanted to invite all of you to my house on Saturday for a cookout. Lindsey's invited too, Catherine, if she's not with Eddie this weekend."

Grissom nodded and smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Nicky. Hopefully the citizens of Las Vegas will cooperate and none of us will be called in to help out the day shift."

Sara gave Nick a knowing look and smiled. "I can't wait."

"It will give you all a chance to meet Beth," Warrick said with a grin. "I know that some of you think I'm making her up." He gave a pointed look towards Catherine.

The red head scowled at the green-eyed man. "I know she's real, 'Rick. I just find it hard to believe that Nick's sister would lower herself to date you." Catherine's soft look belied her words.

"You wound me, Cath," Warrick moaned, clutching his chest in an over-emotional display.

Everyone began chuckling and Grissom cleared his voice to garner their attention once more. As he handed out the duty slips, he leaned in close to whisper in Sara's ear. "It's probably either you or me, right?"

Sara looked over at Nick and then down the hallway, where Greg was standing talking to Jackie. "I think it's me, but I may be wrong."

Gil smiled, "You seldom are."

* * *

"Most of them said yes, Nick. A couple said they'd get back to me. I'll have a more firm number by tomorrow morning."

Nick nodded, "That's good. All the CSIs are in, as well as Catherine's daughter Lindsey. She'll probably have a blast playing with Carter."

Greg smiled. "I have Thursday night off. I can go shopping and do whatever prep is needed then."

"It would be easier if you just did the prep at my house. It would save you transporting it a second time," Nick mentioned casually. "Also, Beth would love to help."

"Carter would need his bed," Greg replied. "But Beth could do it at my house and use the bed in Carter's room if she needed to sleep."

"Greg, if it's okay with you, I'd like to get a crib to go in my spare guest room. That way you two could stay over whenever you felt like it. Even if it's just during the day, Carter would have a place to nap." Nick looked over at Greg with questioning eyes.

The young man smiled. "If we can get a crib set up before Thursday night, then I'll stay and do the prep at your house with Beth." A few seconds later his face lit up in a large grin. "Having a crib set up in there before Friday would be helpful for Beth, wouldn't it?"

Nick returned his grin. "It certainly would."

Greg leaned forward to fiddle with the radio with a nervous gesture. "How do you think she's going to take the news about us? About you?" he finally asked softly.

"She loves you and Carter. I think she'll be excited that if she can't have the two of you, at least you're still in the family, so to speak."

Greg smiled at his words. "I hope so. I really like your sister. I would hate it if our telling her our news changed the way she felt about you and Carter."

Nick looked at Greg carefully. "What about how she views you?"

"I'm a big boy," Greg said with a shrug. "It would hurt me more if she changed her feelings about you or Carter. I've learned to handle people not liking me, or my views, but it's harder when it affects people I care about."

Nick pulled the truck into the parking lot beside Greg's apartment building and reached to pull the young man into his arms. "Whatever did I do to deserve you, G?"

Greg ran his fingers along the nape of Nick's neck. "I guess you just live a golden life, Stokes."

Nick leaned forward and kissed Greg softly. "Time to go face the music." He reached around to lightly slap Greg on the thigh, "Let's get moving."

Greg pulled away and opened the truck door with a sigh, "I don't think Friday is ever going to get here."

Nick just laughed at his words and placed a hand on his shoulder as they moved towards the building. Greg paused as they came upon an older gentleman sitting on a stone bench along the walkway. "Hello, Mr. Hedger."

The older gentleman nodded curtly and pointedly looked away from the two men standing before him. "Mr. Hedger, is everything alright?" Greg asked, concerned about the aberrant behavior he was observing.

"I'm fine, Greg. I just don't keep with what I saw happening in that truck," the old man said coldly.

Greg stiffened and Nick felt the muscles in his back tighten considerably. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Hedger. Just know that I'm still available to you if you ever need anything."

"Won't ever need anything from you again. I'm going to have to mention it to Marie the next time I talk to her. It isn't fair that she doesn't know," he said stiffly, still staring off into the distance.

"I'm sure Marie will call me with her views after you speak to her, Mr. Hedger. Have a good day." He took a deep breath and continued on towards the building, Nick beside him, helping to keep him from breaking down outside in front of the bigoted old man.

"What a buzz kill," Nick said softly as the outside door closed and the two men entered the foyer of the apartment building.

Greg gave a sad chuckle and turned into Nick, who enfolded him in his arms. "That old codger felt like my grandfather here in Vegas. Of course, he's no Papa Olaf, but …."

Nick rested his cheek on the side of Greg's head. "Maybe Marie will read him the riot act and he'll see the light," he said quietly.

The young man pulled himself together and smiled at the Texan with thanks. "He's entitled to his opinion. I'm just sorry that he won't be part of my extended family in Vegas anymore." He nodded towards the stairway. "Let's hope that the episode with Mr. Hedger is not a harbinger of things to come with your sister."

Nick gave Greg a soft kiss on the lips and sighed, "I don't think it will be, but let's get this over with before we lose our nerve."

Greg nodded and holding hands the two men started up the stairs towards Greg's apartment.

* * *

Beth had breakfast waiting for them when they entered the apartment. It suddenly hit Greg that if Nick's sister had a problem with them, he may not only be losing a friend, but the caregiver for his infant son. He walked over and tousled Carter's curls and swallowed a silent sob over the events of the last few minutes. Beth noticed his mood instantly and walked over to Greg and pulled him into her arms. The two of them had formed a strong bond over the past four weeks and Greg feared for its viability.

"What happened, Greg?" Not waiting for him to answer, she swung her head toward her brother and caught his eyes with an intense look. "What happened, Nick? Is everyone okay? Was someone hurt?"

Nick shook his head and looked at the way Greg allowed himself to be held by his sister. He silently prayed that he was right in his beliefs that his sister would welcome their news. "Let's sit down."

Beth nodded and tilted her head towards the stove. "Could you turn the oven off and take out the casserole?" She maneuvered Greg into the chair he usually sat in and pulled another one close, keeping an arm around the quiet young man. When Nick sat down, she looked at her brother and demanded an answer, "What happened?"

"Greg just had a nasty encounter with Mr. Hedger," Nick explained. "The old man doesn't want anything to do with Greg anymore."

His sister gave Nick an incredulous look. "Mr. Hedger? That nice old man? What could Greg have possibly done to make that old man turn on him?"

Greg sat up straighter and turned to look at Beth. "He saw me kissing the person I've been dating for the last month."

"But you've just gotten off work. You were with ….," she paused and looked over at Nick and he nodded at his sister.

"Yeah Beth, Greg and I have been dating." Nick sat and watched his sister closely trying to gauge her reaction.

After a slight pause, Beth snorted, "And that bothered the old codger? With all the pain and suffering in the world, he's concerned because two people are happy? Well, it's nice to know he has nothing better to be more upset about."

Greg looked at Beth and tears filled his eyes. "You're okay with this?" he asked softly.

Beth looked at Greg and smiled, reaching out with her thumb to wipe a stray tear escaping down the young father's cheek. "I'm more than okay with this. I already consider you and Carter my family, Greg. I just hope my brother doesn't fuck this up." She turned to look at her younger brother and smiled. "It's about time, Nick. The whole family has been taking bets how long it would take you to own up to your sexuality."

Nick stared at his sister and stammered, "Bets? What is it with people anyway?" Did he even have any secrets anymore, he wondered, shaking his head.

* * *

Thursday Greg and Beth went shopping for the cookout. They had left Carter asleep in his new crib at Nick's house with the baby monitor on the bedside table next to Nick's bed. Greg had argued with Beth about leaving Carter there, fearing that his son would awake, and as a result awaken Nick. Beth had merely pointed out that if Nick and Greg were planning on a long-term relationship then her baby brother had better learn how to suck it up and earn his 'daddy badge' right quick.

"You're a real hard nose, aren't you?" Greg chuckled at his new favorite person.

Beth smiled at Greg. "I'm starting to feel like my old self again. I thought I'd lost that person forever. Thanks for allowing Nick to introduce you and Carter into my life. You guys are better than prescription drugs, and the really good ones, too!"

They had just pulled into Nick's driveway and were walking to the back of Greg's sedan to get the groceries from the trunk when Warrick pulled up in front of the house.

Beth smiled at the tall man as he unfolded himself from his SUV. "You're just in time, big man. Come show this little lady how strong you are by carrying in her groceries."

Warrick crossed the yard and leaned down to give Nick's sister a leisurely kiss, while Greg busied himself with the plastic bags in the trunk. When the CSI walked to the back of the vehicle, he grinned at Greg. "What are you doing here, Sanders? I thought you'd be at home with your son."

Greg smiled. "He's in the house with Nick. They were both sleeping when we left." Warrick nodded and gathered up the remaining bags allowing Beth to close the trunk lid.

"I didn't expect you today," Beth said smiling at Warrick as they walked to the house.

The tall man shrugged. "I realized it was Greg's night off tonight and thought you might be free. I guess I should have called."

"She is free," Greg announced. "I don't need her to watch Carter tonight."

Beth opened the front door and shook her head. "I volunteered to help you prep for the cookout tonight." She turned to Warrick. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Warrick looked at Greg in confusion. "You're doing the prep for the cookout?"

Greg sat his bags on the table and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I have the night free and it's the least I can do for Nick and Beth. They've been so good to Carter and me."

The tall man nodded in agreement and placed his bags next to the ones Greg had already placed on the table. At that particular moment Nick walked around the corner with Carter in his arms. The child was wrapped in a towel and the Texan had his own towel knotted at the waist.

"Hey, sister in the room," Beth said turning towards the refrigerator with a gallon of milk in her hands.

"Sorry, Beth." Nick held out the still damp baby towards Greg and rechecked the knot at his waist. "The little guy woke up with a particularly nasty diaper, and before I knew what was happening it just seemed to make more sense for us both to take a shower. I am not changing the next one, Greg. What did you feed him?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Did he appear to have a fever before the shower?" Greg held a hand up to Carter's forehead, but realized that the shower would have altered his body temperature slightly anyway.

"Naw, he was fine. Just had a really bad case of the diaper dirties." Nick walked closer to Greg and Carter and nuzzled the baby with his nose. "He smells much better now, don't you little man?"

Warrick watched the scene unfold in front of him and suddenly realized something that probably should have been apparent long before now. "Finally," he said with a huge grin. "It's about time, Stokes."

Nick looked over at his best friend. "Huh?"

"You weren't planning on telling your best friend? How long have I been in the dark, man?" he asked with a pointed look over at Greg.

Beth started to laugh. "I just found out two days ago, 'Rick. My brother has been playing it pretty close to the vest lately."

Warrick nodded. "Congrats to you both."

Greg sat down on a kitchen chair and wrapped the towel more securely around Carter. He began muttering to himself, "Hell the way everyone is acting, you'd think he'd proposed or something. We haven't even…" He suddenly realized that the kitchen had gotten very quiet and he looked up at the other three people standing before him, their mouths gaping open.

Nick sister recovered first. "That might be just a bit too much information about my little brother, Greg," Beth said with a knowing smile.

Warrick looked over at Nick, who still looked awestruck. "You planning on continuing the celibate thing much longer there, Stokes?" He nodded over at Greg. "A man's got needs, ya know."

Nick whipped his head over towards Warrick ready to give him a piece of his mind, but before he could respond Greg began muttering to himself again. "God, I hope not."

Beth and Warrick burst out laughing, while Nick tried to appear offended, but failed miserably when all he was wearing was a low-riding towel. Greg looked up innocently and smiled at his boyfriend. Nick just gave a snort and turned to walk out of the room, intending to get dressed. He paused when he heard Greg's voice, "You're still planning on watching Carter here tomorrow night aren't you, Beth. Nick and I have plans over at my apartment."

He heard his sister answer in the affirmative and shook his head taking another step, before hearing his best friend's response to the whole discussion. "Looks like Sara wins after all."

Nick heard Greg and Beth's "What?" in unison, before he continued down the hallway determined not to reenter the kitchen until he had gotten himself dressed and his emotions back under control.

* * *

Greg leaned into Nick and ran his fingers along a broad shoulder. "You were saying?"

"Yeah, um, I was saying I shouldn't be rewarding you for your behavior yesterday in my kitchen. That information was private….."

Greg's breath ghosted across Nick's jaw line. "I totally understand, Nick. I don't deserve a reward. But if you were planning on rewarding me how would you go about it? I think I have a right to know what I'm going to be missing." He ran his hand down the front of Nick's body.

"Oh hell."

* * *

;0)


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Greg practically bounced around the lab later on that night. He knew that he had an ape-shit happy smile plastered on his face, but for the life of him he couldn't remove it. It was shaping up to be a slow shift, which was surprising for a weekend night. Greg placed his last sample into the bioanalyzer and tapped a little rhythm on the counter top, twisting his stool back and forth as his hands moved faster and faster. With one last flourish of his hands, he twisted his body and spun his stool around in a circle, stopping abruptly as he noticed Catherine standing in the lab doorway.

"You're in a good mood, Greg. Any particular reason?" Catherine smiled at the young man as he tried vainly to control himself. She hadn't seen Greg this hyper in quite awhile; lately he had appeared very laid back and mellow.

"Just high on life, Catherine." He smiled at her and tilted his head. "Did you bring me anything from your 415?"

"Nice deflection there, Greg. No, the wife decided not to press charges, so Brass told me I might as well head back to the lab. We'll probably get a call back there someday for a dead body, but we can't make her try to save herself if she doesn't want to." Catherine sighed and leaned against the door jamb. "It's been pretty slow tonight. It was kind of nice to get away from the paperwork for a little while."

Greg nodded in agreement. "Wish I could get outta here sometimes." He nodded towards the next lab. "Whenever Hodges has a slow period, he stops in here to chat. I'm sick of hearing for the thousandth time why he still lives with his mother."

Catherine chuckled. "Are you all caught up then?" She glanced around the lab at the pristine counters.

"Last ones are in the analyzer as we speak. If no one brings me in any more work, I may have to result to asking Hodges if I can help him." Greg gave a shudder, which was belied by his smiling face.

"We can't have that happen, can we?" Catherine grinned at the young lab tech. "When you're done in here, AND if nothing else comes in," she stressed, "you could join Nick in the layout room. He's trying to piece together a shattered glass door." She made to move away from the doorway, but paused and leaned back in. "You don't mind helping him out, do you?"

Greg gave Catherine a smile and shook his head. "Naw, I'm good with puzzles." She nodded and continued down the hallway. Greg just smiled and checked to make sure everything was in order so that he could go find Nick as soon as the analyzer finished with the sample he had running for Grissom.

* * *

Nick and Greg were bent over the table in the layout room carefully trying to match shards of glass into jagged openings. Catherine watched for a moment through the glass wall. She was just about to continue towards her office when she saw it. Nick turned his head slightly to say something to Greg, and the lab tech turned towards the other man, dipping his head slightly and blushing, a soft, sweet smile on his face. Catherine's eyes widened and a huge smile graced her face. "It's about time," she whispered to herself.

"Catherine." The red head looked up and saw Ecklie coming towards her at a fast clip. Wanting to give Nick and Greg as much privacy as she could in a glass-walled lab, she walked to meet the day shift supervisor and gave him a small tug on the arm as she continued walking. "Let's do this in the break room if you don't mind, Conrad. I really need a cup of coffee."

* * *

"You okay, G?" Nick asked softly. "I know it's been awhile for you."

Greg turned towards the other man and smiled. "I'm more than okay. Tonight was perfect, Nick."

"Yeah, it kinda was, wasn't it?" Nick looked back down at the glass puzzle before him and sighed. "It's so slow tonight, we could have stayed home."

"If we hadn't planned a cookout with all our coworkers tomorrow, we might have gotten away with a sick day, but…." Greg's voice trailed off.

Nick snickered. "We should have planned a breakfast date as opposed to a dinner date, then we could have had all day together. I definitely didn't want to have to rush off to work tonight."

Greg grinned. "This coming from the man who threatened to withhold his affections less than ten hours ago."

"I can't imagine what I was thinking at the time, G." Nick bit his lip and nodded as he set a glass fragment into the correct placement on the table.

The lab tech leaned over and bumped shoulders with his new lover. "As I recall, you weren't thinking very clearly at all. You even had a hard time forming sentences at one point."

Nick tried to hold back a chuckle, but finally gave in and snorted, shaking his head in an attempt to control himself. "You certainly made it very hard to stay clear headed. You should come with a warning label, G."

"What would the label say, Nick?" Greg asked in an innocent voice.

"Warning: May cause temporary insanity, loss of intellectual thought, and extreme pleasure. Do not take while working or driving motorized vehicles."

Greg grinned. "Some men might take that as a dare, Nick." He wiggled his eyebrows and leered suggestively.

Nick looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? I just said…."

"Not while working or driving, huh? Give me some time and I'll bet I can get you to give one, or both of those a try."

Nick turned to stare at Greg, watching as the young man wet his bottom lip. "Oh hell, yeah."

* * *

Standing beside Nick, Catherine took a sip from her soft drink as the Texan manned the grill. The host was watching the cooking meat, but the red-head was looking out into the yard at the small group resting under a temporary canvas roof. On a blanket spread on the ground, Grissom was laying on his side, propped up on one elbow, as he and Lindsey played with Carter.

"I didn't know about Greg's son," Catherine said, more to herself than Nick. "Why didn't he say anything to us when that happened? Didn't he realize that we would have helped him?"

Nick looked out at the resting trio and shrugged. "I know you think of the entire lab as family, Cath, but I think that the lab techs still feel a little line of division between those that leave the lab, and those that are there all shift."

"They shouldn't. We are a family. I would have been there for Greg, if he had just asked for a little help." She looked at Nick and smiled. "You two are like my younger brothers. I'm just glad you both finally decided to take the plunge and admit your feelings for each other."

Nick's eyes widened. "Were we really so transparent, Cath?" He shook his head and flipped a couple of burgers with a sigh, still having trouble accepting that he had wore his feelings on his sleeve for so long.

Catherine gave him a smile. "You both tried really hard to keep it from each other. Personally I picked up on how you relaxed whenever Greg left the room. It was like you tensed up when he was near, trying not to show your feelings, when he left the room your body language was more open to the others around you."

"I guess we only kept it a secret from each other. According to Sara, 'Rick, and now you, we were the only ones in the lab that didn't realize that our feelings were reciprocated." Nick shook his head in disgust.

Catherine smiled. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Nicky. We are trained to look for hidden clues as they relate to the things around us, but not how they reflect on our personal lives. God knows I let Eddie screw me over for a long time before I finally wised up and kicked his ass out."

"You seem happier now," Nick acknowledged, his eyes scanning the yard and resting on Greg, who was sitting at a picnic table with Archie, Bobby and Jackie.

"It took me awhile to get there, but I know it was for the best. Eddie was dragging me and Lindsey down. For years he tried every 'get rich quick' scheme he could find; I had to hide money to make sure I could feed Lindsey for awhile there. His cheating on me was the last straw."

Nick smiled, keeping his eyes on the young man sitting across the yard. "I won't have to worry about that with Greg."

Catherine followed his line of sight and sighed. "You sure of that, Nicky?"

"Yeah," he replied, turning to look at his coworker. "He waited two years for me to admit to my feelings. He could have had anyone during that time, but…."

"Wow," her eyes widened considerably. "He was that sure of you?"

Nick shook his head. "Naw, he was that sure of himself. He said he didn't want to settle." He started removing some of the cooked beef from the grill. "I wish I could have been as strong. Maybe it wouldn't have taken me two years to actually let him know how much he means to me."

"Awww Nicky," Catherine sighed. "I'm so glad for you both, but I'm worried….."

Nick turned to look at her in puzzlement, waiting for her to continue.

"Ecklie."

"Yeah, Sarah said something to me. How did I not pick up on his obsession with Greg?" Nick shook his head still having trouble acknowledging how deep he had pushed any feelings regarding Greg prior to a month ago.

"He's an ass, pure and simple." Catherine shrugged. "He wants Greg, but the one thing he wants more than Greg is to move up the ladder professionally." She looked at Nick and then nodded her head towards Greg. "It may get nasty, but Ecklie does have that weak underbelly. I think he'd cave before ruining his career."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Nick sighed removing the remaining meat from the grill. "It would hurt Greg emotionally to have to do that to keep his job on the graveyard shift."

"We won't let that happen, Nicky. Like I said, we're family. He'll have to go through the entire shift before he hurts Greg." She looked over to where the young man was sitting with his fellow lab techs. "Was this get-together to officially announce your status as a couple?"

Nick smiled. "Yeah, but I guess we're the worst kept secret in Vegas. I could have saved a ton of money by just kissing him in the hallway at work." The dark-haired man's eyes glowed as Greg looked up and saw his lover staring. Greg bit his lower lip and returned the gaze.

Catherine nodded and took the platter of cooked meat from Nick's hands. "Why don't you go over there and give him that kiss so that we can all eat. I'm starving."

Nick grinned and turned towards the backyard. "Sounds like a plan, Cath." He laid down the spatula and started toward the picnic table, his eyes remaining locked on Greg's the entire way. Reaching the table he held out his hand, and when the young man took it, he pulled him to his feet and into his arms. Nick leaned forward and allowed Greg's mouth to meet his halfway. Cognizant of the fact that they were surrounded by their peers and a couple of children, Nick kept the kiss from evolving into something that those around him would have to watch pay-per-view to observe. Releasing Greg's soft lips, he stroked the young man's back and pulled him to his side. "Let's eat," he announced in a loud voice, hearing the resulting cheers in unison.

"About damn time," a voice uttered matter-of-factly.

Greg chuckled and rested his head on Nick's shoulder. "You got that right, Archie."

* * *

"I think today went well," Greg whispered against Nick's shoulder as the two men attempted to nap after their guests had left. Both men had to work later that evening, but sleep was evading them. Beth had shooed them off to Nick's bedroom announcing that she'd rather put the food and tableware away without them underfoot.

Nick gave a low chortle. "I don't think anyone was surprised." He turned his head to run his chin against Greg's tousled locks and the young man responded by running his fingers across the Texan's chest. "Did anyone mention the office pool to you?"

"Yeah, apparently Sarah won quite a bundle." Greg chuckled against the warm shoulder. "I can't believe that the entire night shift was in on it."

"Well, not everyone," Nick said quietly. "You weren't in on it."

It took a moment for his words to sink in before Greg lifted his head and looked at his lover intently. "You knew about it?" When Nick nodded, Greg asked, "How long did you know about it."

"Only a few weeks. Sarah figured out about us and cornered me at a crime scene. She told me about the betting and assumed Grissom had won. When I told her we were taking it slow, she informed me that this month hadn't been taken in the pool. I fronted her the money and we are splitting the winnings." Greg gave him a light punch on the arm. "Hey," Nick complained.

"Is that why we waited? You wanted to win a bet?" Greg asked in a hurt voice.

Nick pulled the young man close and kissed him softly. "No. I truly wanted to take it slow, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to hold out too much longer. I decided that April was a safe bet." He stroked Greg's hair gently. "I think we should take the winnings and plan a weekend away. Grissom would probably give us the time off together."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Heck, he might even volunteer to watch Carter for us part of the time. He sure seemed enamored by him today." Greg sighed. "The fact that I have a son is sure to filter up to Ecklie. I hope that he doesn't use that against me when Jackie retires."

"If he does, that's discrimination. We can call him on it." Nick stated, staring at the ceiling and realizing that even if they could prove it, Ecklie would probably never be that obvious in his words.

Greg shifted slightly against Nick. "If he chose someone else on my current shift to take over for Jackie, I wouldn't call him on it. I couldn't do that to anyone I care about." Nick silently agreed, knowing that Greg wouldn't want to take away someone else's pay grade increase that the title of lab supervisor carried.

"How long before Jackie retires?" Nick asked.

"November," Greg replied. "She has a countdown calendar on the inside of her locker. Every time she pulls off a page she does a little dance." The young man wiggled his body in an imitation of Jackie's calendar dance.

Nick groaned and tightened his grip on Greg. "You keep doing that and I won't be getting any sleep, G."

Greg lifted his head and rested his chin on Nick's shoulder. "Do we have to nap?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Nick tilted his head back and exhaled heavily. "My sister is awake out there. I don't think either one of us is capable of being quiet enough for me to feel comfortable doing anything else other than sleeping."

"Spoilsport," Greg chuckled, laying his head back down on Nick's shoulder. The two rested quietly for a few minutes before the lab tech spoke again, "So how much did you actually win in the pool, Nick?"

* * *

Over the next few weeks Greg felt his bond to Nick growing exponentially. As a college student his friends had deemed him a serial monogamist, he seldom entered into a relationship, but if he did it was due to the hope that it would be long lasting, possibly for life. Greg didn't do flings, much to the chagrin of many of his acquaintances along the way. The fact that he had harbored feelings for Nick for two years had kept him from participating in a lifestyle that might have led to other relationships. Now that he had the object of his desires, Greg was finding it difficult to spend time away from the dark-haired Texan. Luckily for him, Nick felt the same way.

Although it was not discussed, the two men just naturally gravitated toward spending almost all their off hours together, even to the extent that they shared a bed even when only sleeping was involved. Nick didn't have trouble sleeping with Greg when Beth was in close proximity, but having sex while his sister was in the house or apartment, was still uncomfortable for him. They had not officially moved in together, but for all intents and purposes, it looked from the outside as if they had done so.

Nick had joked once or twice that they should move Greg and Carter into his house, and Beth into Greg's apartment, but Greg still wasn't sure how serious his lover was in his words. Greg wanted this to last, but it seemed almost too soon to be making decisions of that magnitude. Although he and Nick had known each other for two years prior to acknowledging their feelings for each other, they had only done that a little over two months previously. If it had just been him, Greg would have had his bags packed and been sitting on Nick's porch a few weeks ago, but he had Carter to consider and was determined to make sure this thing with Nick was going to be permanent.

Greg realized that moving in together would not only test his and Nick's relationship, but it would also change the dynamics of their relationship with Beth, and in turn, hers with Warrick. Beth and the green-eyed CSI spent much of his non-working hours together, often including Carter in their plans. Greg acknowledged that although Beth had begun to love the little guy, she was spending the additional time with Carter so that Nick and Greg could have time alone. Greg did appreciate her actions, but realized that Warrick would soon find it difficult to continue the practice. At least, Greg could admit to himself, Warrick appeared to like children. If Beth and Warrick could make a go of it, it would be likely that Beth would have her wish of a family. Greg smiled at the thought of the beautiful children the two of them could produce.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

The sun was rising bathing the world outside of the SUV in soft amber light. Nick was strumming his fingers along to the beat of one of the cds Greg had slipped into his hands the evening before. He smiled remembering how Greg had grinned at him and suggested he listen to something besides 'two-step' music. The fact that his case this shift had him driving nearly ninety minutes each direction had given him plenty of time to listen to the cd a couple of times, and he had to agree that although it wasn't his first choice in music, it was listenable, especially if it made Greg happy.

Pulling into the crime lab parking lot, Nick slipped the cd back into its jewel case so that he could return it to its owner. The Texan made sure the disc was safely in his pocket before gathering up his kit and the brown paper bag containing all his samples and locking the vehicle. He gave his back a stretch and walked across the concrete lot to the outer door of the lab.

As he entered the building he turned to smile at the receptionist, but his smile was met with a look that was almost fearful. "What's wrong, Judy?" he asked crossing the tiled floor in only a couple of long strides.

Judy bit her lower lip and tilted her head towards the long hallway to her right. "Ecklie showed up a little while ago and I've heard lots of raised voices," she answered. "I called Dr. Grissom up from the morgue, but ever since he's arrived it's just gotten louder."

Nick nodded and grasping his kit and evidence bag a little tighter he started down the hallway purposefully. It didn't take long for him to see the back of Ecklie, who was facing towards Gil and leaning towards the graveyard supervisor in a threatening manner.

"I said he's going," Ecklie uttered, each word sharp and staccato. "If he doesn't, then he's fired."

"He's my lab tech, Conrad, and he's not trained for the field. If you need someone so badly, I'm sure I can spare one of my CSIs," Grissom spoke softly, but with a sense of authority.

"I didn't ask for your permission, Gil," Ecklie hissed. "I'm your supervisor, and what I say goes. If you want to push this any further, then I'll write you up, too."

Grissom nodded. "I understand, Conrad. I just can't understand why it has to be Greg that goes out with you to this particular scene. I'm sure he'd be very capable, but without the proper training he might make a mistake that would jeopardize the entire investigation."

Nick stopped at the mention of Greg. He looked over into the glass-enclosed lab to his left and saw the lab tech clutching the edge of the counter, his eyes large and dark, emphasizing a face that was almost too white to be natural. He stepped slowly inside the lab and set his kit and bag onto the closest horizontal surface, the quiet sound of the paper bag shifting across the laminate catching Greg's attention.

The dark-haired man gave Greg a questioning look, but the lab tech just swallowed heavily and turned his gaze back out of the window. From his vantage point he had a sideways look at the two arguing men. Nick walked closer to his lover and reached out his hand, easing the clenched fingers of Greg's right hand from the countertop. He laced their fingers together and squeezed tightly.

Greg's voice came in a rushed whisper. "He came in and told me to grab my coat. He needed me to go to a scene with him out in Henderson. I told him that I had some important samples I needed to finish for Grissom. He needed them ASAP or Brass was going to have to let a suspect go. Ecklie said it didn't matter what Grissom wanted, he wanted me to go and that's all that was important, I wasn't supposed to question him."

Nick gave the trembling hand another squeeze, encouraging Greg to continue. "Jackie walked in and told him that taking a lab tech from the graveyard shift out into the field had to be first cleared with her and then with Grissom. He told her that if she wanted to push the issue, she could just consider her retirement as commencing immediately without the accrued benefits because he'd fire her for insubordination."

Greg looked over at Nick in fear. "I think he's going to fire her and Grissom, and probably me. What the hell is going on?"

Before Nick could answer Sara and Warrick stepped quietly into the lab and moved to flank Greg and Nick. Sara wrapped an arm around Greg's waist and moved in close. "That bastard has finally pushed too hard this time."

Warrick nodded and crossed his arms, standing between the open doorway and his coworkers. "I called Brass and told him to get the Undersheriff over here. Enough is enough."

Sara rested her head on the side of Greg's shoulder. "The day shift has let him get away with crap like this for years. I've lost count of the personnel we've lost because of that guy."

"Some people don't do well in positions of authority," Warrick agreed. "They think it gives them the right to do whatever they want."

The four watched as Ecklie moved even closer into Grissom's personal space, his voice raising and threatening to fire even more of the graveyard shift if he wasn't allowed to take Greg out of the lab for whatever reason he wanted.

Suddenly a voice rang out, "What the hell? Why has everyone stopped working? Is there a problem?" Catherine strode down the hallway, her kit in one hand and a bag of evidence in the other. She walked right up to Grissom and Ecklie and looked back and forth between the two men. Nick knew that she had to know what was going on, because she had to have passed Judy just as he had earlier.

Catherine looked at Ecklie and gave him a long slow once over, starting at his feet and ending at his eyes. "Damn, Conrad. If it wasn't against departmental policy for supervisors and their underlings to fraternize I'd have to tell you that you are looking mighty fine this morning. But since it is against departmental policy and could be cause for dismissal, then I'll have to keep those thoughts to myself. Don't you think that's wise?"

Ecklie's head snapped back and he looked at Catherine. "Willows, that comment could be construed as inappropriate."

Catherine nodded. "I know, Conrad. And that's what everyone else in this lab is thinking right now about your behavior." She slowly turned her head looking into every window surrounding the hallway.

Ecklie followed her lead and let his gaze sweep the glassed-in enclosures finding every single one of them filled with one or more individuals who had given up even the pretense of working to gawk at the behavior of the people in front of them. Hearing a soft cough, he turned around to see several of the workers from his own shift standing in a huddle at the juncture of the hallway leading from the front doors.

As he turned back towards Grissom, his gaze caught the lab where Greg stood, flanked by the three CSIs and he swallowed hard. He realized his desire for the lanky DNA tech had caused him to act inappropriately in a very public manner. Usually he had managed to keep his little indiscretions much more private, or at least that's what he had always led himself to believe.

"Conrad," Grissom spoke softly, "let's take this into my office."

Ecklie nodded and when Gil moved off to the side, he entered the open doorway. Gil moved to follow, but turned around and swept his eyes around at the onlookers. "Shift's over. Get your work stations cleaned up and get out of here." Not waiting to see if he was obeyed he turned to enter his office, closing the door behind him and Ecklie.

Catherine turned and walked into the DNA lab, crossing over to Greg. "You okay, honey?" she asked, reaching up to rest a hand on his cheek. Greg nodded slowly. "Let's get you out of here."

Greg shook his head. "No, Grissom and Brass need these results or they are going to lose their suspect. They have the right guy in lock-up, but he's going to walk in less than an hour."

Catherine smiled. She took the paper with the results from Greg and nodded. "I've got it. You did great getting this done, even with all the chaos this morning. Brass is going to be real happy he won't have to let this guy go and then go out and try and find him again." She nodded to Nick and took Greg's other hand. "Danny's standing out in the hallway. I'll have him finish up putting the samples away. We have to get out of here anyway so that he can get in here and start his shift."

Greg allowed himself to be led from the work station and towards the locker room, where Nick slipped his lab coat from his shoulders and placed it in his locker. Nick quickly gathered his own things and steered Greg towards the exit. Sara and Warrick close behind.

As the foursome exited the building they saw the Undersheriff striding across the parking lot a scowl on his face. He paused and looked at Greg and the three CSIs. "Is he still in the building?" he asked looking as if he wished the answer would be negative.

Nick nodded. "He's in Grissom's office."

McKeen looked at Greg. "You want to press charges, Sanders?"

Greg's eyes widened. "I don't know….."

"Not now, McKeen. Let him think about what just happened. He'll get back to you," Nick responded.

The Undersheriff shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Shit, I hate when this stuff happens." He turned back towards the building and continued walking.

"Breakfast at my house," Nick said to Sara and Warrick.

They nodded, but Greg shook his head. "Carter's at my apartment."

"I'll swing by there," Warrick said. "Beth and I will bring him over." He reached out to pat the younger man on the back. "Let Nick take care of you."

"I'm fine…," Greg began, but stopped as Sara leaned forward and patted him on the chest. "Okay."

Sara wrinkled her nose at him. "I'll let Catherine and Gil know where we are." She looked at Greg. "Is there anyone else you want in on this pow-wow?"

Greg looked at her and sighed. "You should probably let Jackie know. She really put her butt on the line in there today."

Nick gave a soft grunt. "Shit. I left my kit and evidence sitting on the counter in the DNA lab."

Sara nodded. "I'll take care of it. See you guys later." She turned and walked back towards the building, disappearing into the darkened entryway as the door closed behind her.

Warrick nodded at Greg and Nick and turned towards his own vehicle. Nick gave Greg a slight push and steered him towards the passenger door of his truck. "Let's get you home, G."

Greg just nodded somewhat bewildered, so far this morning made no sense at all.

* * *

"So, Ecklie is on paid leave pending any litigation," Grissom said to the people assembled in Nick's living room. He looked at Greg and sighed. "Did he say anything that could be construed as sexual harassment, Greg?"

Greg's eyes widened. "Sexual harassment! It was Ecklie. Why would he…?" his voice trailed off as he turned to look at Nick, before looking back at the graveyard shift supervisor. "Was he hitting on me? Was taking me to a crime scene supposed to cover as a date?"

The entire room waited quietly as Grissom sought his words carefully. "There have been rumors for several years now. Many of the day shift staff have called in their resignations after being taken out into the field with Ecklie." He paused, waiting for the insinuations to sink into Greg's thoughts. "McKeen asked me to check into the rumors discreetly, but no one has ever been willing to confirm any inappropriate actions leading to their resignation. We have no idea if anyone was in the same situation, but is still working for the lab."

Greg just shook his head. "Do you think he wanted to….. That he would have…." He couldn't finish a sentence, his eyes had drifted to the area rug under the coffee table in front of the couch and stayed focused on a small repeating pattern in navy and green.

"I don't know, Greg. I do know that he's approached me several times trying to transfer you to the day shift. I've kept a log of every time he brought up the subject or when he's said anything that had me suspicious."

"Hell, the guy's had it bad for you for years," Catherine said matter-of-factly. "Only you and Nick could have missed it," she said with a grim grin. The comment earned her a small chuckle from Warrick, who shook his head as apology when Nick gave him a dirty look.

"He didn't say anything to me that would have raised my suspicions. I don't think I could possibly bring a complaint against him for sexual harassment." Greg rubbed his hands on his jean clad knees before sitting back and looking around the room at his co-workers. "That doesn't mean that I ever want to work around the man." He looked over at Grissom. "Can we make sure that doesn't happen, Gil?"

Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Greg. If we can't bring a sexual harassment charge then all we have is his attempt to not follow departmental policy on the deployment of personnel. It's not a very damaging charge. Of course, there are several people out there who would be willing to acknowledge his behavior in the lab."

Greg stretched an arm out towards Nick and the Texan took his hand, linking their fingers together. "I won't quit my job and make this easy for him."

"Good," Gil smiled. He looked over at Jackie, who was sitting on the fringe of the group. "I'm going to need signed affidavits from everyone who is willing. The situation was already out of control when Judy called me in the morgue."

Jackie nodded. "I was there almost from the beginning. I was walking towards the ladies room and heard Ecklie's voice demanding Greg drop your evidence and follow him."

"Stop in my office at the beginning of shift tonight," Grissom said. "And I'd appreciate it if you would pass along the request to any of the lab techs. If it's a slow night I'll stay in-house and talk to anyone who is willing to put their observations on record.

Jackie nodded and stood. "If it's alright with everyone I think I'll head home. My hubby promised me clean sheets and quiche this morning." She walked over to Greg and leaned down to press a quick kiss to the top of his head. "I'll see you tonight."

Greg nodded and gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm not going to let some lecherous old coot make me quit my dream job."

The lab supervisor gave him a gentle cuff on the shoulder. "Old? He's younger than me." Then she smiled, "But he is definitely lecherous."

Nick stood and walked Jackie over to the door, thanking her as she left. He turned and looked at the assembled group realizing that he'd never had better friends, even during his college and fraternity days. "Hey Beth," he said softly. When his sister turned to look at him he tilted his head toward the kitchen. "How about we get some breakfast on the table for everyone?"

She nodded and shifted Carter into his father's lap with a smile. "I think there is a dozen eggs and a pound of sausage in the frig. I can whip up some pancakes, too."

Warrick smiled. "Is there any of that homemade bread left for toast?"

Beth smiled. "Yeah, but if you want it you have to help us, big man."

He grinned and moved to follow her and Nick into the kitchen, but turned to look at the remaining individuals scattered around the living room. "You guys going to be alright in here?" He was looking at Grissom, Catherine and Sara, but he nodded towards Greg, who was sitting in the corner of the couch holding Carter.

"We'll be fine, 'Rick," Grissom said with a smile as he reached out to offer Carter his thumb.

* * *

It seemed almost anticlimactic when Greg was called into Grissom's office a week later. McKean was already sitting in one of the chairs positioned in front of the supervisor's desk.

"Sit down, please Greg," Grissom said as he shuffled some papers on his desktop.

Greg looked at his boss and then at the Undersheriff. "Okay," he said softly, waiting nervously.

McKeen coughed discreetly and nodded to Grissom, who gave his superior a tight smile and returned the nod. "Apparently after last week's disturbance a member of the dayshift stepped forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior on Ecklie's part. Inappropriate behavior of a forced, sexual nature."

Greg's eyes widened and he swallowed visibly. He looked down at his hands. "Then he probably wanted to …. He might have…."

Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "We'll probably never know, but it's entirely plausible. When presented with a written affidavit from the individual, along with all the information gathered from our shift, Ecklie has decided to resign, rather than go through a public hearing and possible trial. The accuser from the dayshift would rather it not be made public if Ecklie resigns, but is willing to go forward if he pushes the issue."

"So it's over?" Greg asked quietly.

McKeen let out a deep breath, "Yeah, finally. I just wish we could have settled this thing a long time ago. Ecklie slit his own throat by pushing the issue with you. I want to thank you for standing up to him, Sanders."

Greg nodded and moved to stand. "If that's all."

The Undersheriff shook his head. "No there's one more thing. By observing your performance in this situation and with the support of your immediate lab supervisor and Gil here, I'd like to offer you Jackie's position of lab tech supervisor when she retires in November. Would you be interested in that advancement? There would be additional paperwork involved, but there is an increase in salary to compensate."

Greg smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think I'd like the additional responsibilities, Undersheriff McKeen. Thank you."

With a nod to Grissom, McKeen stood and walked to the door, "Gentlemen."

As he closed the door behind him, Greg looked over at Grissom. "So is this promotion an attempt to keep my mouth shut?"

Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "If it is, well, you've earned it. That evidence that you fought to finish for me the other night kept that guy behind bars. Since then we've linked him to three other rapes. He'd still be out there if you had allowed that evidence to leave your presence." He smiled at the younger man. "You did good."

Greg gave his supervisor a shy grin. "Thanks Gris."

With a nod Gil tilted his head toward the door. "Get to work Sanders and don't make me regret giving McKeen such a glowing report on you."

The lab tech leapt to his feet and turned to the door. As he opened it and stepped through he looked back over his shoulder, "Carter wishes you'd stop by and play with him again."

Grissom smiled. "How about tomorrow after shift?"

Greg gave him a nod. "I'll make breakfast while you change his diaper." He ducked and chuckled as Gil tossed a paperclip in his direction.

* * *

.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Nick and Greg were snuggled on the couch, the remains of their breakfast still on the kitchen table. "Why don't you go grab a shower and I'll get the dishes," the lanky lab tech murmured against Nick's neck.

"Naw, this feels too good. I don't wanna move." The dark-haired man ran a hand across Greg's back and ghosted a kiss to his temple.

"Moving could be a very good thing," the blonde chuckled, nipping at Nick's jaw line. He shifted his body so that he was straddling the other man's hips and leaned in to kiss his lover more fully.

Nick grinned as Greg ended the kiss and moved onto the Texan's neck. "I can see the advantages to movement." His hands ran up and down Greg's back restlessly.

Greg moved to stand and held out a hand to Nick. As their hands connected there was a knock on the door. "You've got to be kidding me," Nick groused.

Greg chuckled and headed towards the front door. "I'll get rid of whoever it is, you turn on the shower."

Nick paused as his lover opened the front door and he smiled. "Marie." He watched as Greg pulled the elderly woman into the apartment and enfolded her into his arms.

"Oh Marie, it's so good to see you again. How is your granddaughter?" Greg's face was alight with happiness. He didn't seem to want to let go of the woman in his arms and Nick had a memory of being held by his grandmother years ago and had a pang of homesickness.

Marie smiled at the young man. "She's just fine, Gregory. She's good."

Greg continued patting Marie's arm. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming back. I haven't heard from you for so long. You didn't return my last phone call. I'd thought you'd forgotten about me and Carter."

The diminutive, but feisty woman gave Greg a 'slightly more than a tap' on the shoulder. "Forget you both! Have you suffered a brain injury since I've been gone young man?" She looked around Greg, towards Nick. "Has he been ill, or something?"

Nick smiled and shook his head. "Naw, nothing out of the ordinary." He stepped closer. "It's good to see you again. How are you, Marie?"

"I'm just fine, thank you young man. It's Nick, right?" She stepped out of Greg's proximity and further into the room.

"Yeah, you remembered," he said with a smile.

"Of course I did. I'm old, not senile." She grinned at the tall dark-haired man. "I was glad to hear from Mr. Hedger that Gregory had finally found someone to spend his time with."

Nick gave the old woman a huge smile. "Didn't scare you off, then?"

Marie gave him a knowing smile. "Two pretty young things like you. Heck no, young man. Feel free to grope him in front of me anytime."

Greg gasped at her words and Nick laughed out loud. "You on any heart medication, Marie?" he asked with a snicker.

"My heart's as strong as a horse, Nick." She walked up and patted him on the arm. "I think my Gregory made a good choice." She turned to Greg and smiled, her hand still on Nick's arm. "I approve."

The younger man smiled. "Thank you, Marie." He stepped further into the room closing the door that was still open.

* * *

Beth walked out of her bedroom in Nick's house snapping her cell phone shut. "Hey little brother, we're going to have company," she called out. Nick turned to her as she entered the kitchen. "Mom just called. She and dad are flying in tomorrow for the weekend."

Nick gave a grimace. "Wish they'd called earlier, I'd have tried getting a few days off. I'm working this weekend." He looked at his sister, sensing her discomfort. "What's wrong, Beth?"

"I think they're coming here to check out Warrick," she said as she dropped onto a kitchen chair, plopping her elbows on the table top in front of her. She rested her chin on her hands and gave her brother a pointed look. "I guess when I mentioned that Marie was back, but I was sticking around they got suspicious."

Turning back to the counter and pouring a cup of coffee, Nick nodded. "Mom always could read you like a book. Guess she's getting good at doing it over the phone now, too."

He crossed the room and settled in a chair across from his sister with a sigh. "You had to know that this was going to happen sooner or later. They didn't expect you to stay in Vegas for more than a week or two at the most. Hell, you've been here almost four months. I expected them here weeks ago."

Beth smiled at her brother and traced a finger across the table, wiping away an invisible smudge. "I don't think I'm going back to Austin, Nicky."

Nick sat up straight and smiled at his sister. "Are you and Warrick getting serious, then?"

She shrugged and bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure about him, but I could be persuaded." Beth glanced back up at her brother and grinned. "Even if this thing with 'Rick doesn't pan out, I still think I'd like to stay in Las Vegas. I like being closer to you."

Nick smiled. "I'm glad you like it here, honey. I'm really glad you want to stick around."

Beth nodded. "I've been thinking that since you and Greg don't need me for child care, I should begin looking for a job." She leaned back in her chair and splayed her hands out on the table top. "If I find something, I'm going to go back to Austin and close the house, call a realtor." She looked at Nick. "Do you think you can put up with me until I get settled here in Vegas?"

Nick reached out to wrap his fingers around her wrist. "Honey, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want, you know that."

She grinned at her brother. "I just thought you might want to move me out and move someone else in." Beth snickered at Nick's expression. "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it, Nicky."

He grinned at her. "You're right. I have thought about it, Bethie." He shrugged. "If it comes to that and Warrick hasn't moved you into his place by then, well, I know of a pretty nice apartment with a grouchy old man living down the hall."

Beth laughed out loud at his words. "Well, Mr. Hedger thought I was attractive and had good hips. It's good for a girl to keep her options open."

* * *

Greg shifted restlessly from one foot to another. He raised a hand to his mouth, absent-mindedly nibbling at a fingernail.

"Stop that, G," Nick admonished, wrapping his own hand around the offended appendage. "You have nothing to worry about. They are going to love you." He tugged on Greg's hand and gave him a smile.

"You're sure that they know about me?" Greg said glancing back towards the monitor showing the ETA of all the incoming planes.

Nick growled. "Of course they do. I've talked about the fact that I'm seeing someone and I know Beth has told them more about it than I have." He caught Greg's look of fear that Nick had not mentioned the fact that he was dating a male co-worker. "I wanted to have that conversation with my parents face-to-face, Greg. I'm not embarrassed by our relationship. I just needed not to do this over the telephone. Okay?"

Greg nodded and tightened his grip on Nick's hand. "But Beth has mentioned the fact that I don't have girl parts, right? I don't want them to be expecting 'little miss homemaker' here."

Nick snorted. "Yeah, Beth could never keep a secret. I think that if 'you' had 'girl parts' it would be harder to explain our relationship, wouldn't it?" He looked at Greg closely. "You don't want any 'girl parts', do you?"

"Not particularly," Greg said with a smirk. "But you will let me know if that hits any of your kinks, won't you?" He gave Nick a leer and turned back to the monitor just as a voice came over the loud speaker announcing the arrival of the flight from Austin. "I can do this," he whispered to himself.

"Don't worry, G, you've got an ace in the hole," Nick said reassuringly.

Greg turned to look at the Texan. "Huh?"

"Carter," Nick said with a smug grin. "My dad is a goner for babies. Whenever my older siblings want something from the old man they just place their youngest in his lap before they ask. It works every time."

"We should have brought Carter along, then," Greg muttered biting his lower lip.

Nick smiled and brushed a thumb against Greg's lips. "Stop doing that, G, or the first time my parents see you I'm going to be kissing you senseless."

Greg smiled at Nick in return. "Probably not the best idea, huh?"

"Probably not," the older man agreed turning back towards the exit gate and scanning the disembarking passengers. "There they are," he said pointing to a dark haired couple.

Greg looked in the direction where he was pointing and nodded. He watched as Nick's mother noticed her son for the first time, how her face lit up in recognition and her hand raised to wave. Nick's father noticed her reaction and looked in their direction, nodding and smiling also. Greg took a deep breath and willed his nervous body to still.

As Nick's parents exited the disembarking area, Nick surged forward to wrap his mother in a hug, before moving on to his father. Greg stood quietly, waiting for the hellos to be finished. He glanced down at his feet and suddenly wished he'd shined his shoes before leaving for the airport.

"You must be Greg," he heard a softly modulated voice close to him say. He raised his head and found himself staring into Nick's eyes. No, not Nick's eyes, but the same eyes both Nick and Beth shared with their mother.

"Mrs. Stokes," he said with a hesitant smile.

"Jillian, honey. Mrs. Stokes was my mother-in-law." She reached out to touch his arm. "I'm glad to finally meet you." When his smile broadened, she took his arm within hers and turned towards her husband and Nick. "He's adorable, Nick."

Nick's father rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly. "As if being 'adorable' is the most important thing in a relationship." He stepped forward and extended his hand to Greg. "Call me Bill," he said with a smile.

Greg included Nick's father in his smile. "Thanks, Bill. But I've always found that being adorable has its benefits."

Nick's dad snorted and nodded. "I guess it does at that." He turned to Nick. "Where's Beth, Pancho?"

"She's back at the house.

"Pancho?" Greg asked with a grin. He looked at Bill, "And that would make you…"

"Cisco, of course," Jillian said with a touch of amusement. "Back when Nick was a little boy he was home sick from school for a week. Bill stayed home with him and the two of them watched reruns of The Cisco Kid until I made them turn the television off." She continued to hold on to Greg's arm with propriety. "Bill dear, why don't you and Nick get our bags. I want to stand here and let everyone see me with this adorable boy."

Bill bent down to give his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Of course, Jilly. You both look absolutely adorable together." He smiled at Greg in amusement.

Nick just grinned at his boyfriend's disbelief. "I told you they'd love you, G."

* * *

"Are you sure we aren't putting you out, Nick?" his mother asked for the third time.

"I already told you, Mama. You and Cisco take my bedroom. I changed the sheets this morning. I'm going to be working the next few nights anyway." He settled more deeply into the couch and rested his feet on the coffee table, trying to ignore his mother's look of derision at his uncouth behavior. "It's my coffee table, Mama."

Jillian Stokes merely shook her head. "Just because you're home, doesn't mean you have to give up on your manners." She smiled at Nick and tilted her head towards Greg, who was sitting on the floor with Beth and Bill playing with Carter. "He seems really nice, Nick." She observed the way her son smiled at the scene across the room. "He makes you happy, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, Mama. I've never felt this way about anyone before." He shook his head slightly. "It took me two years to admit to him that I was interested, only to find out he felt the same way. We wasted two years we'll never get back."

"Then don't wait anymore, Nick," she said with a smile. She chuckled at her son's expression. "When it's right, it's right. I knew the moment I met your father that we'd be together for the rest of our lives. Of course it took him slightly longer to come to that conclusion, but I never doubted it for an instant." She leaned forward and rested her hand on Nick's knee. "Is he the ONE?"

"I can't imagine waking up without him beside me." Nick admitted, his eyes slightly watery.

His mother sat back and nodded. "Your father and I will stay here tonight then." Nick gave her a confused look. "You have another bed to sleep in tomorrow when you get off work, honey. Don't be embarrassed to do that while we're in town, okay?"

Nick nodded and rubbed a thumb along his denim clad thigh. "Thanks Mama."

Jillian stood and walked towards the small group on the floor. "My turn," she stated matter-of-factly. "Let me get my hands on this new grandbaby."

* * *

Greg winced in sympathy as he watched Bill Stokes grill Warrick over supper that evening. He realized that even if he was Nick's boyfriend, he'd gotten off much lighter than Warrick in the 'what are your intentions' discussion. It was really too bad that Warrick didn't have a child in the wings, because Carter really had made the whole thing much easier.

He still couldn't believe Nick's mother had called Carter her new grandbaby. When he'd looked at Nick in disbelief at her comment he was even more astonished to see the look on the Texan's face. He'd wanted to rise and cross the room and kiss Nick until they both passed out due to lack of oxygen for that look.

Greg felt a tap on his lower leg and looked across the table to where Nick was sitting, a small smile tugging at his mouth. Footsie, Nick 'I'm from Texas' Stokes was playing footsie with him under the table! Well, two could play at this game. He nonchalantly stretched his leg forward and ran his foot up the leg he connected with, watching Nick closely for a reaction, but not seeing one. He frowned slightly and bit the inside of his lower lip, deciding to try a little harder for a reaction.

Shifting slightly in his chair to get a better reach with his leg, Greg stretched as much as possible without being too obvious to the other four people seated around the table. He made contact and began to rub his foot higher and higher, until he heard a yelp and saw Nick's father jump visibly in his chair.

"What the hell….?" Nick's father said.

"Oh shit," he whispered in a tight voice, dropping his head down into his hands, as he covered his face in horror.

A couple of seconds later Nick broke out into a loud guffaw, "I'm sure glad they don't make lab techs carry service weapons, G. Your aim is terrible."

Greg continued to cover his face as he shook his head and murmured, "Lord, take me now."

Beth began to giggle as she realized what had probably happened. She looked over at her mother and said with a smile. "See Mama, he's not only adorable, but he's religious, too."

"Yep," Nick agreed, "he's damn near perfect."

* * *

The remainder of Bill and Jillian's stay in Las Vegas passed smoothly and by the time he stood with Nick and Beth at the departure gate at McClarran Airport his faux pas at dinner a few nights previously hadn't been mentioned in hours. Jillian had stowed her digital camera away before leaving Nick's house, but she kept mentioning how she couldn't wait to get the photographs of all her family processed and passed out to the other Stokes children.

Greg had even heard Jillian talking to Beth in the kitchen about how cute Carter was going to look in the annual Stokes family Christmas picture, he being so different than all the other grandchildren with his blue eyes and blond curls. Nick had been walking around with his chest all puffed out, proud that he'd done well, according to his family, in finding the perfect boyfriend, even if he wouldn't be trusted with a gun when he visited Texas.

Greg sighed as he watched the family members saying good-bye. It had been a nice week-end and it had almost felt like he was home with his own family. He was going to miss the closeness that the elder Stokes' had brought to Las Vegas with them. It was all well and good for Jillian to be talking about Carter and the annual Christmas card, but Greg knew that December was still several months away and although he had hopes that he and Nick would still be together, he knew that there were no guarantees in that area. They'd been a couple for four months, but it was still longer than that until Christmas.

He allowed himself to be pulled in close by Jillian and patted on the back by Bill, but inside a tiny curl of fear began to expand in his chest. Greg said good-bye, hoping it wouldn't be the last time he spent time with the couple he'd come to appreciate over the past three days.

* * *

.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

It felt like déjà vu as Greg stood at the arrival gate with Carter waiting for Beth to disembark. She'd flown home to pack up the remainder of her belongings and sign the contract with a realtor. Jillian had promised to do all the leg work involving the viewing of the house, but Beth wanted to do the final packing up of her personal things by herself. She'd said she needed the closure before she could move forward with her new life in Vegas.

Her new job with one of the casinos would begin on Monday and the moving truck with her belongings would arrive on Wednesday. Greg had found a storage locker for Beth's things until she could either sell her house or bank enough money from her job for at least three months rent. He knew Nick was in no hurry for Beth to move out, but Greg could see the restlessness that was beginning to show in the young woman's demeanor. Beth was ready for a change.

Greg wondered if Warrick would be ready to move forward before Beth was ready to move out of Nick's house. He hoped that the two of them could work it out, but Nick's sister was determined to make a life for herself and she wasn't going to wait around in Nick's spare bedroom until Warrick was ready to offer her a commitment.

He spotted Beth's dark hair and his eyes widened in amazement. Gone was Beth's long dark mane, she now sported a much shorter look that probably used as much or more product than his own purposely disheveled hairstyle. She caught his eye and grinned widely, waving frantically as she practically ran across the tiled floor to meet him.

"Oh gosh, I've missed you guys," she gushed, pulling Carter into her arms and tilting her head toward Greg for a quick kiss. "How's my best little buddy?" she asked Carter, giving his tummy a tickle and laughing right along with him as he giggled at her behavior.

"I like your new look," Greg said as he walked around Beth, viewing her new hairstyle from all angles. "New look, new life. I kinda like the symmetry."

Beth smiled. "Mama and all my sisters kidnapped me on Saturday for lunch and a spa treatment. I knew I'd just ruin a manicure when I went home to finish my packing, so I decided to get my hair done instead."

"Very stylish. I'll have to introduce you to my stylist when you're ready for a trim." Greg nodded towards the luggage carousel. "The same two bags you left with?" When she nodded in the affirmative, he wandered over and picked up her matched luggage and carried them back over to the where Beth was standing, still tickling and teasing Carter. "Ready?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes," she smiled. "Very ready."

* * *

Greg helped Nick carry the last of the half dozen boxes into his house. The two men had helped supervise the movers as they had unloaded Beth's belongings into her new storage unit. Beth had marked six boxes that she wanted brought to the house. Greg didn't know what was inside the boxes, but they couldn't have been too important if Beth hadn't needed their contents for the past five months.

Nick took the last box from Greg and placed it in his spare bedroom, as Greg flopped down on the couch. "Sleep," he moaned. "I need sleep."

"Yeah, sleep sounds good. It's going to be a long shift tonight." He walked into the kitchen and came out with two beers and handed one to Greg as he settled on the couch beside the young man. "Is Marie expecting you home this afternoon?" he asked after a long draw on the bottle he held.

Greg rubbed his eyes with the back of his empty hand and yawned. "Naw, she told me not to worry about getting back. She and Carter were going to bake cookies, so that means he'll be banging a wooden spoon on an empty pot all afternoon." He opened his eyes and looked over at Nick with a grin. "Do you have any suggestions about where I could catch a few hours of sleep, hmmm?"

Nick raised one eyebrow and gave him a serious look. "Well, I'd be willing to share my bed, but the operative word there is sleep, G. I'm dead tired and have an awful suspicion that this heat wave we're having is going to cause a lot of calls tonight."

"The passion is gone," Greg lamented as he quickly finished his beer and stood. "Okay if I catch a shower first?" he asked already pulling his tee-shirt over his head as he moved from the couch.

"Sure, G." He took the empty bottle from Greg and stood moving towards the kitchen. "Need some help with your back?"

Greg stopped and turned around, his shirt hanging limply in his left hand. "Yeah, that sounds good. Also if I fall asleep before I finish my shower you can catch me before I hit the ground."

Nick snorted. "You fall asleep in there; I'll just turn off the water and cover you with a towel. If you can't get your own butt into bed then that's just too bad."

The young man sighed. "Yeah, the passion is definitely gone."

Nick stepped closer to his lover and wrapped his arms around him from behind. "Just let me get a good eight hours of sleep and I'll show you all the passion you can handle."

"Promises, promises," Greg murmured softly.

"Shower, then sleep," Nick said, releasing Greg's waist and catching his wrist and dragging him down the hallway.

* * *

Saturday morning had Nick walking in the doorway of his house alone. Greg had had the night off and he'd planned on staying home, but Nick could see his sedan parked in front of the house. He heard laughter coming from Beth's room and wandered down the hallway to see what mischief Greg and Beth were engaging in.

He poked his head around the doorframe to see this sister and boyfriend sprawled across the bed with an open photo album in front of them, several others were stack haphazardly on the edge of the bed. One of the boxes he and Greg had carried in on Wednesday morning was open and partially emptied.

"I sooo need a copy of this one, Beth," Greg giggled, as he gently rubbed his finger across one of the photographs in the album.

"Just take that one. I'm sure I have others that are almost identical. I spent a lot of money on photo processing that summer."

Nick suddenly remembered the summer when Beth had seemed to have a camera permanently attached to her person. He quickly stepped into the room and snatched the album from the bed.

"Hey," Greg said, smiling up at Nick. "Is it really that late?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here, G? I thought that you were looking forward to spending some time at home." He glanced over to see his sister looking down at the bedspread as she picked imaginary lint from its surface.

Greg stood up and gave Nick a quick kiss. "Beth had a bad night." He nodded into the hallway. "I'll go make coffee."

Nick felt Greg leave the room, but he kept his eyes on his sister. She hadn't moved since he entered the room. Crossing over to the bed he sat down and placed a gentle hand on her head, carding his fingers through the short, silky strands. "What's bothering you, Bethie?"

Beth turned her head and lowered it to rest on her hands. "Tom called," she whispered. "I knew you and Warrick were working, so I called Greg. I'm sorry that I disturbed his night off."

"I'm sure didn't mind coming over here. That guy loves you like his own sister, you know that don't you?" Nick wasn't sure how to best approach the content of the phone call between his sister and her ex-husband.

"Yeah, the feeling's mutual. He settled Carter down in the crib and then we spent the night eating ice cream, bitching about men, and watching cheesy movies. Then he mentioned wishing he'd known you when you were younger and I remembered I'd packed all these photo albums, so we….." She waved her hands around the bedroom.

Nick nodded. "Okay, that explains why you and Greg were sprawled out on the bed together, but I'd like to know more about the phone call. What did Tom want?"

Beth sat up and took a deep breath. "He was drunk. Evidently the love of his life just dumped him and he thought I'd commiserate with him. Wasn't that thoughtful?"

Nick bit back an expletive and waited until he had himself under control again. "Okay, so we go out this afternoon and get you a new phone number and you tell everyone you give it to that if they pass it along to him they will not get the next phone number. And if he somehow does get through to you again, just tell him that it's too bad he lost the love of his life, because you still have yours and he's the jealous type."

She looked at him in puzzlement and he shrugged. "Would it bother you to lie to the man?"

Beth shook her head and then smiled. "It might not be a lie, you know. I mean, I don't know if Warrick's the love of my life, but he already ranks higher than Tom. Also, I don't know if he's the jealous type."

Nick grinned back at her. "He's definitely the jealous type and if he weren't my best friend I'd suggest you use that to your advantage, but I can't do that, you know the saying….."

"Don't you dare say 'bro's before ho's', Nicholas Stokes!" She swung her small fist at his arm and caused him to rock backward.

"I didn't, I wouldn't!" he exclaimed rubbing his tender shoulder before pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. "You okay now?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, I will be." She snuggled into her brother's side and sighed. "Think the coffee is ready?"

Nick chuckled. "I think that unless we go out right now, Greg will have the entire pot finished and we'll have to start another one. Let's go." He stood and pulled his sister up off of the bed and together they went in search of caffeine.

* * *

It was the second week of October and Warrick and Nick were carrying Beth's couch from Nick's truck into her new apartment. Greg and Bobby were following with her mattress which they had unloaded from Bobby's truck bed. "Why am I doing this," groused Bobby good-naturedly.

"Nick and Warrick promised you a steak dinner with all the trimmings. I would have held out for at least a movie and drinks afterwards." Greg grinned at the other lab tech.

Bobby laughed. "Naw, that wouldn't have been much fun. You all would have been paired up. I wouldn't have wanted to be a fifth wheel. Besides I'm planning on a mighty expensive cut of meat at that steakhouse." He jostled the mattress for a better grip. "You okay over there, Sanders?"

"Don't worry, I've got my end." The two men maneuvered the mattress around the corner and into the doorway of Beth's new apartment, stopping when they could move it forward no further. The entire front room was jam packed with boxes and furniture. They could hear Nick, Warrick and Beth discussing the problem.

"We need to move this stuff or we won't get anything else through the door, Beth," Nick said matter-of-factly.

Beth sounded flustered. "I know, but you guys keep bringing stuff in quicker than I can get it put away."

Greg and Bobby followed their voices around the corner where Nick sat straddling the back of the couch shaking his head.

"Hey guys I think there's only one more trip left. If you three could finish with that, I'll stay here and move boxes for Beth. We might need you to help move the big stuff, but if we get the small stuff out of the way then it should go faster." Greg smiled at the group, trying to diffuse the situation.

Beth looked over at him with thanks. "That would be great, Greg. I keep getting distracted and can't seem to make any headway with this mess. Every time I open a box I just….." her voice faltered.

"Not a problem, I'm great at organization." He turned to Nick. "Just give us a call when you get ready to leave the unit and I'll call in for a pizza delivery." He walked over and gave Nick a gentle kiss. "Everything will be fine when you get back."

Nick smiled at the younger man and gave him a hug. "Thanks Greg, we should have thought of that the last trip."

After the three men left to pick up the remaining items from the storage locker, Greg hauled boxes and smaller pieces of furniture, keeping Beth on task. By the time Nick, Warrick and Bobby had returned all the boxes were stacked in the correct rooms for unpacking and he even had the bed frame put together and the mattress in place. The final load was carried into the apartment just as the delivery boy arrived with the pizza and everyone dropped to the living room floor as Beth rummaged in an open box, tossing out a roll of paper towels.

When Beth stood to pick up the empty pizza boxes and crumpled paper towels, her cell phone rang. She managed to step over the extended legs of her movers and grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter top. As she popped open the phone, she pushed the cooler of drinks over towards the closest pair of legs with her foot.

"Hello," she sang into the receiver with a smile. Warrick grinned up at the sound of her voice, realizing that having all her belongings under one roof and a full stomach had put Beth in a much more relaxed mood.

"Tom, who gave you my new number?" she asked woodenly, her demeanor shifting drastically. Bobby paused in his move for a beverage, his hand in midair as he watched the gaze of the three other men snap towards the young woman immediately.

Nick moved to stand, but Greg put a hand on his arm. "No, Nick, he knows your voice." Greg shifted to get his feet underneath him, but stopped when Nick grabbed the hem of his shirt. The lab tech looked down and watched Nick nod towards Warrick.

The green-eyed man was already on his feet and slipping the phone out of Beth's hand. The remaining people in the room could only hear one side of the conversation, but it was evident that Beth's ex did not like the idea of another man answering her phone.

"No, you are her EX-husband and she'd appreciate it if you stopped calling her." Warrick turned his back to the others and rested one hand on the door jamb of the kitchen.

"Not that you're entitled to that information, but I'm the lucky bastard who picked up the pieces after you decided to treat your wife like ….," he paused evidently listening to the voice on the other end of the connection.

"Beth's father is a judge and I'm sure that she'd have no trouble getting a restraining order if that is what it's going to take to get you to leave her alone." All eyes in the apartment watched Warrick shake his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, I DO know her parents, and NO they will not take your side in this matter. They've already mentioned to me how disappointed they were in your treatment of their daughter."

Bobby slipped down beside Greg and Nick and passed each of them a beer. "Better than cable, man," he drawled softly.

Warrick's voice rose, his anger simmering close to the surface. "Let me say this in words that even your simple mind should be able to understand, Thomas. You did not treat Beth like the treasure she is. If that woman would even consider spending her life with me and bearing my children, I wouldn't take her for granted and lie to her. YOU screwed up, man. Really screwed up. But Beth has moved on and she is not going to come running back to you, you jackass. If you had loved her just half as much as I do there is no way you would have let her get away. Leave her the fuck alone." He snapped the phone shut and flinging his arm in a tight arc, threw the phone into the nearby wall, where it shattered into several pieces.

Nick, Greg and Bobby sat silently as Beth moved toward Warrick, forgetting that they weren't alone in the apartment. She stepped in front of him and raised her hands to his face, turning his head until he was looking at her. "Did you mean it, 'Rick?" she asked softly. "What you said to Tom. Or did you just say it to get under his skin?"

Warrick's breathing slowed back to a normal rate and his expression relaxed as he understood what Beth was asking. "I love you, Beth," he said quietly turning his lips into the palm of one of her hands.

"Better than HBO," Bobby whispered from his spot on the floor beside Beth's brother, earning him a dirty look from Nick.

"Do you really need to be independent, Beth? Is this a step you really need to take?" Warrick asked, lifting his hand and gesturing around the apartment.

Beth smiled and shook her head. "It was second choice, sweetheart. I just didn't think I would get my first choice." She leaned forward, stretching her lips towards Warrick's mouth, but he met her halfway, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off of the ground to rest against his much taller and broader body.

From his spot on the floor Nick realized it was time to leave before Bobby's HBO, became pay-per-view. Tapping both Greg and Bobby on the leg he nodded towards the door. The other two men nodded and rose slowly.

They stepped out of the apartment door and shut it softly behind them. As they started down the stairs Bobby snorted. "It looks like you're going to need my services again, Stokes. Do you think we'll be moving her into his house or him over here?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't know, man. It's too bad they didn't have this talk before she signed a year's lease."

Greg pushed open the outer door of the apartment building and stepped into the hazy October afternoon. "I hope I tightened those nuts on the bed frame enough," he said with a chuckle.

The Texan groaned, "You so didn't need to say that, G."

Greg smiled and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend, as he looked over at Bobby. "How about a movie?"

Bobby shrugged and nodded, heading towards his truck. "I'll drive."

Greg released Nick and scampered after the gun tech, leaving Nick standing and looking up at the apartment building, shaking his head. The dark-haired man looked over at Bobby's truck where the two men were standing discussing the possible movies showing in the area. He strode forward purposefully. "No porn," he stated matter-of-factly before slipping into the truck.

* * *

.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

The following morning Nick and Greg were settled on the couch watching Carter play with his toys on the living room floor. Marie had left as soon as breakfast was over and the two men were enjoying the quiet.

"Why don't you go and get some sleep, G. I can watch Carter for awhile. I'll get some sleep after you wake up." Nick pulled Greg closer and wrapped an arm around him. "You look beat."

Greg shook his head. "You go crawl in bed, Nick. I'm okay. If I get too sleepy, I'll turn the television on, put him in his playpen, and crash here on the couch."

Nick sighed, but he didn't move, except to rest his chin on top of Greg's head. "I almost forgot with all the moving and drama yesterday, Mama sent Carter a Halloween costume. I think my dad must have picked it out though." He chuckled. "Carter's gonna look really cute in those chaps and cowboy hat."

"A Halloween costume? He's only sixteen months old! There's no way I'm sending him up to a stranger's door asking for candy. That's just asking for trouble." Greg seemed overly dramatic and Nick realized it was probably due to his degree of exhaustion.

"So we take him to Grissom's and Catherine's. I bet most of the lab techs will be expecting trick or treaters, too. I'll ask Judy to pull up their home addresses for us."

Greg relaxed slightly. "That's okay, I guess. Are you going to dress up, too?"

"Uh uh, G. I've already told you I'm not going to dig out my old policeman's uniform. So just stop right there."

The lab tech sniggered. "I thought it might be worth a shot."

Nick just shook his head and ran his hand up and down Greg's arm. "Is he really sixteen months old? It seems that it was just yesterday when I first met him. He was nine months old then, wasn't he?"

Greg nodded. "Yeah, time flies when you have kids. They seem to grow up so fast."

Suddenly Nick tensed. "Shit, I missed it," he said sitting up a little straighter.

"Huh?" Greg responded, as he slid away from the warm spot against Nick's body.

Nick turned to look at Greg more fully. "I missed our six month anniversary. We would have been dating six months back on the seventeenth of September. I can't believe I missed it."

"You didn't," Greg smiled in return, as he tried to resettle against Nick's chest.

Now it was Nick's turn to question. "Huh? Of course I missed it. I only just remembered it, G."

Greg shook his head. "Naw, we went out to eat at that new Italian restaurant and went to see the new Adam Sandler movie, remember?"

"But…," Nick began.

"You even bought me that big movie theater box of Milk Duds. You hit the trinity of date requirements, Stokes. Don't let it bother you." Greg yawned and closed his eyes, as Nick struggled to accept the man's thought processes.

"I didn't bring you flowers, though, did I?" he asked, a hint of humor in his tone.

Greg snorted. "I'm not a cut flowers kind of guy. If you find the need to go organic next time, try coffee beans. Besides, the really big six month anniversary is still coming up."

"Oh yeah, what's that, G?" Nick asked playfully.

"Next weekend is the six month anniversary of our first cookout together," Greg responded as he rested a hand on Nick's chest.

"A cookout?" Nick answered with a question in his voice. Greg didn't say anything. He wondered how long it would take for Nick to realize what that meant. It took a few minutes, but he could tell the moment that Nick remembered by the way his body relaxed and melted even closer into his own.

"The cookout was the day after….," he paused and kissed the top of Greg's head.

"Yeah," Greg grinned. "That's the really big anniversary. Do you want me to plan something, or do you want to handle this one?"

Nick smiled and hugged Greg a little tighter. "I think I can handle it. Maybe I can talk Grissom into giving us both the night off."

Greg began to chuckle out loud. "What?" Nick asked.

"We both already have the night off, Stokes. But really, you can plan the rest of it, I promise."

Nick growled and nipped at Greg's ear playfully, causing the young man to yelp and wiggle. Carter turned to look at the two men wrestling on the couch and smiled, pulling himself to his feet and toddling over to join the fun. He giggled out loud as his father reached down and lifted him onto Nick's lap and both men started to tickle his tummy.

* * *

Nick spent the next few days trying to plan for the special event. He even brainstormed with his sister, although she wasn't the most helpful of people. She told him the best advice she could give was for Nick to listen to his heart, then he'd know what to plan for the evening. He held an internal debate all the way to a crime scene in Pahrump, he'd even let Sara drive so that he wouldn't have to think about the traffic.

He'd thought about asking Sara's opinion, but with an inward grin he acknowledged that she was probably the least romantic person on the graveyard shift. He'd have more luck with Catherine, or even Grissom, than Sara. The only thing holding him back from discussing anything with Catherine was the fear that it would get back to Greg. The young man had already teased him about being unable to plan a romantic evening; he certainly didn't want to prove him right.

Nick had listened to Beth and had tried to plan something he knew that Greg would love. He'd debated about making reservations at one of their favorite restaurants, as opposed to going with something new and flashy, or maybe one of Vegas' tried and true oldies. He tossed out the idea of a movie, deciding that we wouldn't repeat Greg's anniversary of a month ago. He'd even scoured some of the papers printed especially for the tourists that contained all the current events happening in the Las Vegas area. But everything he came up with just didn't seem right, not for the upcoming weekend.

He slumped down a little in the seat of the SUV, glad that Sara had allowed him the time to stew over his dilemma. He was getting a little frustrated when his co-worker decided to break the silence. "There are some really nice houses out here. I've been thinking about buying, ya know. From everything I've heard it's a real buyer's market right now." She glanced over to Nick. "What do you think?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I prefer owning a house to an apartment, but you've got to be willing to put a little sweat equity into your own place. There will always be something that needs done." He grinned at Sara. "Can't call your landlord and complain."

Sara returned the grin. "Yeah, but I know someone who could help me out if I needed it." She drove for a bit longer before she continued with the conversation. "How do you like your neighborhood? Is that area pretty good?"

"Well, I haven't been called to any crime scenes close to the house, so I guess I'd consider it good."

Nick looked out the window at the passing houses that had sparked Sara's train of thought. "Exactly how serious are you, Sara?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't boxed anything up yet, but I've talked to my banker and a couple of realtors. I had to cancel an appointment with one earlier this week when I had to pull a double." She glanced over at Nick. "Do you have a house in mind?"

Nick smiled and gave a little nod. "Yeah, I might have just the house for you. It's been updated recently and I have it on good authority that the seller might be motivated to sell."

Sara gave him a huge smile. "Really? I wonder when I could get a look at it?"

"You've already seen my place, Sara, but if you want to look at it again I could be manage to be there whenever you'd like to stop by."

"Nick?" she asked as she pulled the vehicle to a stop outside of a house lit in splashes of red and blue light from couple of police cars. "What's going on?"

He shrugged. "I think I've just decided what's in my heart, Sara. I can't say more than that until after the weekend." His brown eyes bore into hers. "This conversation stays between us, just us. No Catherine. No Grissom. No Warrick. And definitely no Greg."

Sara nodded. "I'll keep quiet. Don't worry." She opened her car door and stepped out, walking to the back of the vehicle to retrieve her kit. Nick also reached in and grabbed his kit that was sitting beside hers. As she shut the back door, Sara turned to Nick and grinned. "I can wait until next week to look at the house. I'll give you time to do what you have to do this weekend first."

Nick smiled in agreement and tilted his head toward the illuminated house. "Let's get this over with. I'd like to finish on time tonight. I've got some investigating of my own to do tomorrow."

Sara raised her hand and gestured toward the sidewalk. "After you."

* * *

When Greg had offered to drive, Nick had shook his head. "Nope, I made the plans, so I get to drive."

The young blonde lab tech had merely shrugged and smiled. He made a big deal of turning around and sashaying his hips in the process. "Do I look alright, or should I go change? I don't really know what I'm dressed for. Want to give me a clue?"

Nick leaned forward capturing the inviting lips before him. "You look perfect, G. Don't change a thing."

"You both look pretty good." Nick and Greg turned around and smiled at Marie, who was entering the living room from the kitchen with Carter trailing along beside her.

"Thanks, Marie." Nick bent down and picked up the toddler. "How are you doing, Carter? Did you have fun with your daddy at the park this morning?"

Carter smiled and patted his hands together. "...wing, …wing, …wing," he chattered in a sing-song voice.

Nick grinned. "So you liked the swings. That's good information to remember, Carter. Would you like me to take you back there tomorrow?"

The child squealed and lunged forward to throw his arms around Nick's neck showing his eagerness to go back to the playground at the park.

"It's a date, buddy, but right now it's your daddy's turn." He passed the child back to Marie who settled him on her hip.

The men said their good-byes and walked out to Nick's truck.

"So, still not going to give me a clue?"

"Nope, just sit back and enjoy the ride, Sanders," he said with a grin.

Greg relaxed into the seat and watched the scenery as Nick drove around through the city. "I was surprised you wanted to do this so early. I expected we'd be going out for supper, not a late lunch," he finally said, getting restless and unsure of where Nick could be heading. The Texan had passed the streets that would have taken them toward the strip and the other more commercial areas of the city.

Nick looked over and smiled. "We're almost there, G. Relax."

Greg nodded and looked back out the side window at the suburban setting. He sat up straighter when Nick pulled into a parking lot outside of a café with a dark green awning. He had never heard of this restaurant before, but wasn't going to question his lover on the choice. Greg was just pleased that Nick had taken the time to find some out of the way café for their date.

The two men relaxed over spinach salads and warm rolls, while they waited for their main course. They were sitting by the window and Greg glanced out at the people walking down the street. Many of the people were young and some were pushing strollers. "Nice area," he said to Nick. "How did you find this place?"

The dark-haired man smiled. "Brass. He mentioned that this area has the lowest crime rate in the city, so I thought it would probably be nice."

Greg nodded. "I like that the shops around here seem to be the mom-and-pop types. I don't think I saw a chain restaurant or store for at least a dozen blocks. That's hard to do in this city."

Nick grinned. "How about we take a walk around the area before we leave?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, a walk sounds nice," Greg responded as the waitress brought their main course.

* * *

Walking around the neighborhood was relaxing. The two men enjoyed the full grown trees and the older houses that were in direct contrast to all the new housing developments that were sprouting up around the city in abundance. Nick pointed over towards a small park and the two men crossed the street to walk towards the playground area.

"Carter would love this," Greg said softly. "It's too bad it's so far away from the apartment."

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "It's too far to drive from your apartment, and my house. But…," he paused pulling Greg forward into his arms and wrapping his arms around his waist, "if we moved in together, maybe to somewhere in this neighborhood, it would be within walking distance."

Greg's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. "Are you asking me to….? You really want to….?"

Nick chuckled at the normally verbose man who was having trouble forming a complete sentence. "Yeah. I would like you and Carter and I to all be together. All the time, day and night. Would you consider that possibility?"

"Yes."

"Yes, you'll consider it, or yes, let's start packing our belongings?" Nick asked, his eyes shining.

"Yes, I want us to all be together," Greg whispered, rubbing his hands up and down Nick's upper arms that were still holding him close.

"Good," Nick responded, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on Greg's lips, cognizant of the fact that they were standing in a park in full view of several children and their parents. "We have an appointment with a real estate agent in twenty minutes. She deals with this area primarily and she's got some houses already lined up for us to view."

Greg shook his head in bewilderment. "How did you….?"

"I just followed my heart, G. It told me that as long as I had you beside me it didn't matter what else happened in my life. I didn't want it to be my house or your apartment. I wanted it to be our house and our yard and our memories together. I want to be Carter's second daddy and your lover for the rest of my life."

"Wow," Greg said quietly when Nick paused. "I want that too."

Nick nodded. "I also thought that if we could find a place big enough that I'd like to ask Marie to move in with us. She's at your place almost twenty hours a day as it is. She's family."

"I love you," Greg said as he leaned in and gave Nick a much more substantial kiss, not caring for a second that they were in a public park, possibly in front of their future neighbors. "And this is officially the best anniversary ever."

* * *

Epilogue:

Nick sat on the edge of the deck and looked out over their new backyard. It was much larger than his old yard and the hours that they had put into its transformation had really paid off. Already the space had provided rich memories that warmed his heart. He ran his hand over the smooth surface of the wood that comprised the new deck and remembered watching Greg swing a hammer, nails sticking from his mouth, as he concentrated on keeping the nails straight as he placed the floor boards. Nick glanced over to the back planting bed and remembered Marie, down on her hands and knees, planting ornamental grasses, and with a chuckle remembered Carter following right behind her pulling each plant back up as soon as her attention shifted.

But his favorite memory was when all four of them had placed their handprints in the wet cement he had poured to secure the wooden posts that strengthened the framework of Carter's new wooden play equipment. Greg had insisted that the cement be covered with sod after it had cured so that Carter wouldn't be hurt if he fell, but they all knew it was there. They had put their mark on this property, making it theirs in more than just signatures on a piece of paper.

Nick heard his son laugh and he glanced over to where Grissom was tossing a soft ball to the youngster. The ball was one of many gifts Carter had received at this party celebrating his second birthday. Nick was glad he had held out for the larger property when Greg was worried about the taxes. They were going to need every last square inch of space if his co-workers continued to be so bountiful in their presents.

He continued to look around the yard and saw his sister and Warrick standing beside the table that held the decimated remains of the birthday cake. Warrick was spreading icing on Beth's lips and kissing it off, as she looked around to see if anyone was watching, resting a hand on the slight bump of her abdomen. Nick smiled at the sight. That little bump was the reason Warrick had drug his sister to a wedding chapel just off the strip, with only himself and Greg in attendance. The green-eyed man told Beth they had to be married before telling her parents that she was pregnant. Nick had the feeling that Warrick was a little frightened of the judge, even if he wouldn't admit it. The funniest thing had been the look on Greg's face when Beth tossed him the bouquet after the ceremony. The lab tech's eyes had been enormous and Nick had kissed him thoroughly until they had fluttered shut in surrender.

"Hey." The object of Nick's musings walked up and settled down beside him, resting a hand on the older man's thigh.

"Hey yourself. I saw you talking to Jackie. How's she doing? Is retirement everything she thought it would be?" Nick stretched an arm out to wrap it around Greg, pulling him closer.

Greg sighed. "Things are a little crazy at her place right now. I think she'd rather be back in the lab." He began to trace little swirls with his pointer finger on the denim under his hand.

"What's wrong?" Nick searched the yard with his eyes to find Jackie sitting with Catherine, who was patting her on the back.

"Her youngest daughter just announced she's pregnant. Her youngest, unmarried daughter, Keeley."

Nick winced, suddenly glad that Carter was male and would never come home announcing his own pregnancy, married or not. "Have they decided what they're going to do?" he asked, watching as Catherine passed Jackie a tissue.

"Keeley's decided that she is putting the child up for adoption when it's born. Jackie is torn between being relieved and hating the fact that she'll never get to know her grandchild." Greg rested his head against Nick's shoulder and sighed. "Keeley was accepted to graduate school out east and was able to postpone it for one semester, but she doesn't want to give up her future because of a one night stand."

"Christ," Nick muttered. "Poor Jackie."

The two men sat quietly, watching their guests mingle, their laughter floating across the yard, in juxtaposition to the two women sitting off to the side.

Nick drew a deep breath and gave a small grunt. "I just remembered something, Greg." When the blonde raised his head and turned to look at the brown-eyed man he saw Nick shaking his head in disappointment.

"What?" Greg couldn't think of anything he'd done, or forgotten that would have put that look on his lover's face.

"You don't have any girls parts, G," Nick said matter-of-factly.

Greg sat up straight and turned his body more fully towards Nick. "Of course I don't, we covered that a long time ago, Stokes. What's your point?"

Nick gave the blonde in front of him a grin. "Do you think it would make Jackie feel better if she knew the couple who adopted her grandbaby?" His voice softened as he spoke, watching Greg's face for a clue to his reaction to Nick's words. "When is Keeley due?" he asked quietly.

"The week before Christmas," Greg whispered, his eyes wide and luminous, beginning to follow Nick's train of thought. "Yeah?"

Nick nodded with a smile, "I was thinking of getting Carter a puppy for Christmas, but maybe a little brother or sister would work instead." His eyes twinkled merrily.

"I love you, you big goof," the young man said, leaning forward to press his lips to Nick's. As he broke off the kiss he reached over and grasped the Texan's hand and gave it a tug. "Let's go talk to Jackie."

Nick nodded and the two men rose, wrapping their arms around each other as they stepped off of the deck and headed across their yard. His life, Nick admitted to himself, was pretty near damn perfect. Sometimes, he decided, it was worth taking a chance and going for broke.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed it!


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